Star 27, Superkings, Shotguns @ The Mitre

Barely half way through January and already a contender for 'gig of the year'. A packed Mitre Tavern played home to three bands that all set their stake as serious hot property for the coming 12 months.

Some of us would have wondered if the unpredictable Shotgun Faeries could pull off the 'headline slot' for such an illustrious bill, but they met the challenge head on and came out on top.

First on were Star 27, who's sound continues to bubble away, gradually filling out whilst retaining their unique classically influenced pop-punk direction.

The band added a few new songs to the set, including their second song in which the drumbeat is as funky as ever with a typical change of pace as well as a vocal solo for new singer Helen Thorpe.

Immaculate mess

Star 27 sound much better practised than previous outing with so many members and hold it together well, but still have the capability to almost collapse with the weight and effort of taking on too much and trying to do too much with their sound.

'Dice' proved to be the scaling show stopper that the band aim for, with Frank thrashing about his keyboard like a duck in a waterfall, leading the bands' descent into an immaculate mess of keys, drums and harmonies, then stopping still and silent, enticing the crowd into cheers and shouts before the big final chorus.

The Superkings have also recently expanded and played their first gig with a new bassist and drummer last seen running round town with The Baker Street Irregulars.

Medieval stomper

The new members seem to fit seamlessly and The Superkings begin in a punky, piano-led fashion before lowering the tempo for their second song of the night which sounds, in places, akin to Bob Dylans' Mr Jones before turing into a medieval stomper, namechecking historical figures from Cleopatra to Henry VIII.

The 'Kings' dark, bitter blend of slow country-rock and angry jazz basslines lends them more to their biting style of ambling love song, but they appear quite capable of surprising the audience with sinisterly humorous, upbeat piano-punk.

When the Shotguns first take the stage the room has emptied and shows little sign of refilling, however, mere seconds into the set it is evident that they are going to sound brilliant, dragging everyone back into the main room with their eye-rolling, knee-shaking, fuck off rock and roll.

Less mainstream

Influences can be charted from all over the board be it The Beatles, The Sex Pistols or less mainstream sounds, but there is no denying that tonight it all comes together to sound perfect - Lomax is the model showman and Paddy has transformed the lead guitar from a mere accompaniment into an integral part of every song.

The band included some newer material, one slower number with an echoing metal lead guitar to complement cutting lyrics. ('I got a cough like a snare drum/ now everybody wants one.) Another new song included nearer the end of the set fails to raise any eyebrows with the lead drowning out the vocals throughout.

The only major weakness the Shotguns show is ' running out of original material' and having to unexpectedly finish on a cover, but when you can cover Here Comes Your Man (The Pixies) this well - who cares?

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy