Tonight is billed as Day Of The Dog, the biggest headline show to date for Fat Dog, who have had a fairly rapid ascent over the past 18 months. They played the 500 capacity Band On The Wall this time last year but now they are in a venue ten times bigger.
Just For Fun open the proceedings. They are a duo who play bouncy dance pop but the singer doesn't quite seem strong enough. The instrumental introduction definitely seems more interesting than the first couple of proper songs. The spoken parts are probably more successful because she has quite an alluring, sexy speaking voice. This is what I imagine Charli XCX sounds like. The singer dresses and acts like she is at the club, with a high energy performance. 'Paris' is decent Ibiza style dance music with a nice squelchy bassline but it is soon forgotten afterwards. 'Blue Mascara' is catchy with a great chorus. A dancier Tegan And Sara isn't a terrible comparison, and the reverb laden vocals are reminiscent of them too. The singer's voice doesn't seem strong enough to carry the chorus of the closing 'Catch Me If You Can'. Just For Fun aren't without promise but they're not consistent enough at the moment.
Silverwingkiller are discomfiting right from the off, as the bass heavy electronics exist at the very limit of what's tolerable. The vocals give it a Melt-Banana gone dance feel. The second track is thumping techno. The third track is glitchy, heavy electronica and the drummer leaves his kit and runs out into the crowd to start a moshpit (they use both live drumming and electronic beats). 'People's Square' starts as a dour dirge with vocals to match before it becomes much more anarchic with clattering drums and screamed vocals. Another track sounds like 'Check Your Head' era Beastie Boys if they were fronted by a diminutive Asian woman rather than three New Yorkers. There are a lot of ideas here and it's a bit chaotic how it all fits together. Not everything works but it is more good than bad, and it is certainly interesting. The closing 'Hold Up (All The Firearms In The United Kingdom)' has a bubbling Josh Wink techno feel, especially at the climax.
Mount Palomar's first track is Prodigy style techno with live drumming supplementing the beats. The bass is super heavy which always helps with this style of music. The second track is similar in style, with a dynamic groove just made to make you shake your ass. Their 'slower' track is still driving although it has an indie band gone electronic feel to it. One track is more like Underworld although the propulsive drumming really makes it feel more uptempo than it naturally would be in a studio setting. It is thrilling. The old indie dance act Shy Child used to do a similar thing with the drumming as well (and I loved them as a live act too). Neil Kerr, the man behind the electronics, seems very personable. He keeps threatening to get someone thrown out but it all seems to be in jest rather than anything bad natured. They are stopped from playing their final track due to time constraints which is met with a chorus of boos. This is especially a shame considering the earlier bands kicked off their sets late. I certainly would have liked to have heard more as they were excellent.
Working Men's Club start off with the heavy, moody electronica of '19'. The bass (provided by an actual bass guitar which is a novelty for this evening, so far) sounds dark and ominous. 'John Cooper Clarke' has a groove which sounds like Michael Jackson's 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' given a post punk makeover whilst the vocals add a Depeche Mode influence. It all comes together in an excellent fashion. 'Valleys' also has a Depeche Mode influence but the keyboards are very reminiscent of New Order whilst the excellent bassline also brings a sleazy Kajagoogoo feel too. Despite the old time influences, it feels fresh and contemporary. 'Ploys' is New Order meets late '80s house music. Everything they play is dark, heavy and very danceable. Frontman Sydney Minsky-Sargeant has some great moves and seems very invested in what they are playing. The rest of the band are pretty static but that isn't unusual for this style of music. 'Money Is Mine' has an acid house feel which wouldn't been have out of place across town at The Hacienda. The closing track 'The Last One' has an utterly hypnotic groove and I find myself closing my eyes and letting it carry me away. Absolutely fantastic.
Fat Dog open with the atmospheric 'Vigilante' with it's hellfire and brimstone sermonising before they turn the entire venue into a party. Despite Halloween being yesterday, many of the crowd are in fancy dress, and the band have gotten into the spirit too with every member dressed as a Scooby Doo character. The bassist has drawn the short straw with his Daphne outfit. 'Boomtown' continues the bouncy, dance vibe. The heavy, sleazy fetish club vibe of 'All The Same' is incredibly intense before they lighten up with a fanfare which they use to kinda show off and say 'how fucking good are we?' It has an air of arrogance about it but is amazing. 'King Of The Slugs' keeps it down and dirty but the bombastic, ethnic chorus is euphoric, and the ska climax backed with a thumping dance beat is unbelievable. 'Clowns' slows it down but is still incredibly intense and that bass tone is bowel shaking. Frontman Joe Love is very charismatic and knows how to play to a crowd, and he sings multiple songs on the barrier where he can be closest to those at the front. 'Bad Dog' is another crowd pleaser even though it is currently unreleased. 'Fuck Urself' has a memorable, bouncy chorus which is perfect to dance to, like most of their tracks are. The keyboard player and saxophonist do a funny choreographed dance during an incredible 'Wither' which sends the crowd wild. An insane 'Running' closes the show with the whole venue bouncing up and down. They'll probably be playing arenas next time around, which would be thoroughly deserved.
Fat Dog *****
Working Men's Club ****
Mount Palomar ****
Silverwingkiller ***
Just For Fun ***
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