Tonight, a skate park under the Mancunian Way is transformed into a heaving, sweaty club, and not just because two of the acts have club in their name but mainly because the Italo-House act Mind Enterprises are in town promoting their upcoming album 'Negroni Love'.
Toast Club start off as proggy yacht rock on their opening track 'Lift Explained'. The guitar and keyboard interplay is impressive and the whole package is pretty infectious. They are a young band but seem very much to be a band out of time and place as they sound like they could have been massive in the West Coast of America in the '80s. I'm reminded of everyone from Huey Lewis to Boston although there is a Thundercat style hyperfunk element underpinning many of the tracks which makes them feel quite dancey. Fortunately, they don't dick around as much as him. In fact, even though most of the songs are lengthy jams, they are still focused and efficient. 'Mean Girl' is summery '80 rock made for driving down the highway with the top down in blazing sunshine, and it brings the arcade game Outrun to mind. The falsetto vocals aren't quite in tune but being largely instrumental, they are used quite sparingly anyway. 'Toast Punters' is a drum 'n' bass meets prog rock version of the 'Ghostbusters' theme and is enormous fun which sums up their set as a whole.
Rhumba Club is the brainchild of the Jersey-born, London-based Tom Falle. The opening 'Odyssey' is housey synth-pop with a strong chorus and excellent vocals. 'Beach Lizard' is extremely camp electronica and is great fun whilst the synth freakout in the middle of the poppy 'Perfect Queen' is fantastic. He describes his music as a dance take on '70s porn soundtracks but I'm not sure I agree although however you describe it, it is brilliant. All of his songs have great choruses, particularly 'Talk Me Into it'. Tom's powerful, soulful voice really cuts through on the chorus of the Erasure-esque 'The Rhumba Club Is Waiting For Me' which is buoyant and uplifting yet still has darker undertones. There is an '80s pop edge to the synth sound but this is still modern dance music which would be equally at home in an Ibiza superclub or a gay bar. Great fun.
It has completely filled up by the time the headliners appear. Mind Enterprises come on stage looking cool as fuck, Andrea in an '80s style suit and Roberto in retro sportswear. The beat starts and bodies start to move and it gets louder and more intense as they ease into 'S.H.A.K.E.' with its deep house grooves and eighties synths, and the mixture of the two elements isn't that far removed from Daft Punk. 'Idol' has an electro funk bassline with a jaunty synth melody over the top and, like much of what they play, is uplifting. One thumping house track blends into another and it is glorious. The deep disco of 'Tuttosport' with its sample of Italian football results is incredible. 'Burn It's electro pop is amazing and this blends into the euphoric 'La Vita Di Mare'. Every song is utterly infectious, especially the superb 'Girls & Boys' which is a mixture of house and retro Euro pop. I'm having a ball as they drop one banger after another, from the tribal techno funk of 'Ballare' to the titanic singalong choruses of 'Rosanero' and 'Tacchini'. 'Tacchini' sees Andrea take off his jacket so they are both wearing Sergio Tacchini tennis shirts. The whistling robotic stomp of 'Find You' is cracking whilst 'Misty Jungle' is so good it almost causes an out of body experience. The version of 'Monogamy' they play harks back to the early days of house with a real S'Express feel. The deep electronic bounce of 'Another World' sends the already rocking crowd wild. As an encore, they play a rousing cover of Umberto Tozzi's (and later popularised by Laura Brannigan) 'Gloria'. The closing 'Americano' sees both members of the band drinking americanos behind their banks of electronics. Exhilarating.
Mind Enterprises *****
Rhumba Club ****
Toast Club ****
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