Tin Gods & Halcyon @ The Mill

Last time Listen Up saw the Tin Gods at The Mill was seven months ago during the Battle of The Bands, they were an established name on the local scene, and their comfort and confidence in their status came across with a reasonably lazy performance. However, last night, back at The Mill, they looked like a band fighting for the spotlight, waving at the new music-listening public to say 'have a bit of this' with a punchy, energetic half hour set.

Support came from Girlinky, a visually strange, all-singing, no dancing electro-punk multi-national quartet, and Halcyon, a local four-piece indie rock band, with an uncanny knack of turning most songs into a dark, ghostly, clouded affair.

Potential

For a band so young they show good potential, and away from their shadowy side have produced a few extremely catchy songs. One of the most impressive aspects of their display was the way they coped with technical difficulties. Clearly ill prepared for the snapping of a string, they covered the short delay, with a competent cover of U2's With Or Without You before going on with the show and finally playing their self-proclaimed 'upbeat song', a dark and fuzzy yet brisk, coral-esque effort.

The band are clearly enjoying performing and even had t-shirts on sale for any willing contributors, but one noticeable problem in a few tracks was the singer/lead guitarists' tendency to attempt solos and guitar parts that are currently just beyond his talents. Although who's to complain as that sort of determination will only help improve the already respectable Halcyon.

Ramshackle dancing

The Tin Gods sauntered onstage just after ten and, as is becoming tradition for headline bands in Preston, failed to bring any sizeable crowd. The band made a strong, energetic start as their typical eighties electro-pop sound hurtled head on into Britpop sounding at times like a raw, early Stereophonics.

The Tin Gods look far more at home in the enclosed atmosphere of The Mill than they did at the open air park gig three months ago, where they struggled to make an impact. It was a joy to see front man Steve Frae get so into his own bands' music, bounding all over the stage with his geeky, ramshackle dancing, hiding behind speakerslike a naughty school kid and boogying with fellow musicians.

The Tin Gods do not break any musical barriers and are immersed firmly in their North-western musical roots, but even as an established veteran local band they are continuing to improve and showing the new boys that they are not about to take things lying down.

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy