LOS CAMPESINOS!/ LES SAVY FAV @ THE ASTORIA 10/02/08

LOS CAMPESINOS!

Los Campesinos! are one of those fashionable bands that people are quick to look down on because publications like NME or Vice have been singing their praises. I'd have been tempted to avoid them too had I not actively attempted to give bands the benefit of the doubt this year. I'd read reports on them where they had been described as twee and intent on avoiding success and mainstream appeal, but with their brand of music I can't see that being possible.

I watched the band from the balcony having arrived just as they began their first song and my first thought was just how well they suited this large venue. With seven members to the band the stage hardly seemed too big but more importantly their sound really suited the acoustics, bouncing back off the walls making it seem far more epic than could ever have been intended. Musically they were very tight too which, with The Astoria's relatively poor sound and so many different instruments being played at once, was a far bigger achievement than it might seem.

Los Campesinos! sound like summer on record but tonight they sound perfect for a cold February evening. They sound dark, as though there has always been a melancholy running through their music that is only noticeable when played live. Twee? I'm not so sure. Yes they play a lot of xylophone, the female vocals are lush like meadows and the lyrics seem like wonderfully crafted cola-cubes, but twee seems to imply flimsy to me and that certainly couldn't be levelled at them. If you're suffering from a cold or cough as I am then I recommend a heavy dose of Los Campesinos! to warm your insides up.

http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

LES SAVY FAV

Les Savy Fav are a band that have been going since 1995 and now, twelve years later, they have broken into the mainstream and are getting the buzz that they have deserved for so long. The reason for this seems to have been the press that they have received for their fourth album, Let's Stay Friends. They seem to have created a sound that really suits them, taking the renowned New York sound and adding a steelier, heavier edge to it, perfect for dancing to but also good to sing along to in the car with friends.

Live they owe a lot to their unorthodox in every way front man. Tim Harrington is responsible only for vocals but is also the focal point of the group for their entire set. He takes to the stage dressed like the Phantom Of The Opera and then proceeds, once the first song gets under way, to shed his costume to show a Hawaiian shirt underneath. Throughout the set Tim manages to get through as many costume changes as any Mariah Carey episode of Cribs, at times being an explorer and even coming on for the encore dressed as an angel, blonde curly wig and all. But his showmanship doesn't end at outfits, Tim also spends as much time in the crowd as he does onstage, at times going as far towards the back of the room that he can no longer be seen anymore from my position on the balcony. He also has a member of the crowd join him onstage where he rides him like a horse.

With all this spectacle it would be easy for the show to turn into a shambles or for you to ignore the most important part of the show: the music, but the band are incredible throughout and Tim, despite all of his shenanigans and no matter where he might be in the venue at the time, never misses a line and always sounds as clear as a glacier. Les Savy Fav are the perfect cure for a heavy bout of tiredness and kept me thoroughly entertained in every possible way. To be both style and substance is quite an achievement and I can't wait for them to come back to these shores for more shows; I'd imagine the security staff will be less enthused to see Tim take to the stage again.

http://www.myspace.com/lessavyfav