Ivan Campo - Live @ The Railway

Nine times out of ten if you are going to watch a band in Preston, you find yourself walking the familiar route towards either The Mill, The 12 Bar or The Mitre Tavern. Last night, however, Listen Up found itself pacing towards The Railway pub near the station, to watch Ivan Campo prove everything that their most recent EP promises.

Come quarter past nine, deep, soulful acoustic tones begin leaking onto the street as the band amble into Darkman/Sunshine, to spark a lengthy set of delicate harmonious song.

Ivan Campo, surely named as such due to the lead singers' uncanny likeness to the Bolton Wanderers half-back, did not exactly pull a crowd, or attempt to set their stall out as the next passengers on the train to popularity.

Rock 'n' Roll

Instead, set up in the corner of the main bar, the band got on with their business, appearing and sounding as comfortable as if they were playing in their mates' front room. All three guitarists (two acoustic, one bass) sit cosily close together, minding their own individual craft, yet moulding together to create music of a lullaby-like quality.

An early highlight of the performance was second song 'The beginning' during which a jazzy drum beat kicks into a genuine 50's Rock 'n' Roll tune, the singer covering most of the mic with his hands, looking not unlike a seated Julian Casablancas (The Strokes).

The Gecko Song

The set included only a few numbers from 'Clippings 2' (review available) Clockshopman and Faceless Army sounding every bit as good as on record, with others from their back catalogue making just as good an impression, The Gecko song in particular- one minute of punk-influenced sixties pop that The Kinks forgot to write all those years ago.

The only notable slip-up came in the form of 'Metro' during which the singer sounded out-of-key, and the chorus shout of 'Metro' too fleeting to establish any sort of rhythm. Whether intentional or not it was still the only downfall of an enjoyable evening in the presence of Preston's ethereal dream weavers.

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy