Twisted Licks - The Last Days of Decadence, London (07/11/2008)

Club nights that merge live bands with DJs can sometimes be a little bit hit and miss... Just when you’ve started pulling a few shapes the music suddenly stops and a random band come on, killing the atmosphere in one fell swoop.

Thankfully, Twisted Licks at The Last Days of Decadence in Shoreditch managed to avoid this awkwardness by a) showcasing some pretty decent new bands, and b) having a DJ upstairs so any live-music-phobics had the option of carrying on the dancing.

First up were My Tiger My Timing, a four-piece indie-electro group from New Cross. Been there done that, you might think, but these guys have managed to change the stuck record a bit by adding a sprinkling of afro-pop and stripping down the electro element. Their funky, happy-go-lucky songs kept the crowd dancing, which is always an achievement for any opening act.

Next up, after an interlude DJ set from Lucia Licks, were A.Human, who really deserved the headline slot. Their melodramatic goth disco, coupled with the very charismatic (and self-confessed drunk) lead singer Dave Human, made for a somewhat engaging performance. He spent as much of the set immersed in the audience as he did on the stage. "That's more of the community vibe that I'm going for!", he yelled into his mic, whilst shimmying up to an unsuspecting onlooker.

After another dose of indie/electro from Lucia Licks, Underground Railroad took to the stage. Hailing from France, but based in London, this grungey alt-rock band have been compared to the likes of Pixies and Sonic Youth. Did they live up to such grand parallels? Well, they have enthusiasm, and the music's not entirely dislikable, but there was a certain something which just didn’t quite work.

Maybe the venue was a little claustrophobic for such a loud band, or perhaps they've been given a tad too much hype to live up to. Either way, they lacked a certain 'je ne sais quoi', plus they sing like Americans, which is a little disconcerting considering they’re French.

The rest of the evening continued in good spirit over the two floors, with Dave Haslam (Hacienda/Xfm) DJing upstairs, and Kate Jackson (of The Long Blondes fame) taking over the decks downstairs. All in all, good music, good atmosphere, good times!

Rating: 4/5

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Twisted Licks - The Last Days of Decadence, London (07/11/2008)
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