The Answering Machine won me over with their two singles that I picked up on itunes, Lightbulbs and Silent Hotels, where they sounded a little like a lot of bands but not a lot like any one band. Live it becomes even harder to pin them down. At times they sound like The Maccabees with their ability to write indie-pop with ease, at other points they sound like Arcade Fire, with bassist, Gemma, at one point singing her vocals through a miniature megaphone and guitarist and lead vocalist, Martin, playing an additional drum at the end of two of their songs. At other moments the two lead rhythm guitars and almost brotherly relationship between the two guitarists give the feeling of The Libertines. I could do this all day but, while you might notice the bands that have influenced them in their music, at no point would you say that it is obvious or attempted. The Answering Machine sound like The Answering Machine and that is all.
Artrocker are currently championing this band as one of their predictions for next year and I’d have to agree. Their choruses are infectious and yet the music sounds intelligent and authentic enough to stand on its own. Plus they sound big. While they hardly seem out of place at The Enterprise the same could easily be said of Brixton Academy or Alexandra Palace, and in some respects I’d really like to see the band in one of those venues. There is a certain epic kind of sound and I’m sure that it won’t be long before they’re playing the bigger venues, even if as a support act.
Throughout the set the drummer’s, Ben, kit seems to fall apart piece by piece and then the additional drum at the front of the stage falls over twice on separate occasions, at one point halfway through Lightbulbs, and yet they play on without a single break. They're like a British Meneguar in places, but I'm sick of comparing them. If you like indie music in any way then I recommend seeing this band before the NME champion them and they're playing huge venues by the end of the year.http://www.myspace.com/theansweringmachine
No comments:
Post a Comment