Baddies - Cockpit, Leeds (07/10/2009)
Rebecca Ryder | Thursday, 15 October 2009
It would be easy to miss the fanfares of their arrival amidst all the electro-racket currently clogging the musical climate. With the knowledge that many purveyors of this noise are just jumping on the bandwagon marked 'sounds that sell', a certain amount of cynicism would be acceptable from the unfamiliar ear.
However, Baddies have compiled a very respectable anthology of tracks, which show that they really 'get it'. They know why the electronic throwback happened to music in the first place and demonstrate how to really get the dancefloors packed again after an apparent eternity of muted standing around being cool in front of the latest indie boy band.
A quiet Wednesday evening at the Cockpit (pre their new gay club night, so understandably devoid of many students) was the setting for their Yorkshire showcase of debut album Do The Job.
The post-punk 'party band', as they've been termed, nevertheless managed to deliver their lively brand of electro-pop with gusto to their group of spiky-haired, check-shirted fans. Frontman Michael Webster threw some '80s-honouring shapes as twin Jim proved to be his wildly drumming counterpart.
The polished bright-blue-shirted foursome with similarly bright shades was a sight to behold, and they clearly take their music as seriously as their outfits. The particularly poppy, though solid and intricate, 'Open One Eye' and their debut single 'Battleships' were most memorable and well received by everyone, as the pace of dancing picked up to a more appreciative standard.
Perhaps it would've been wiser to pick a weekend or a packed university for the Leeds leg of the dynamic band's UK circuit, in order to pack a bit more of a punch in terms of audience response. However, Baddies no doubt made their mark and proved that they have probably been honing their sound for far longer than most throwaway electro-mobs jumping on the 1980s bandwagon.
Rating: 4/5