Nouvelle Vague + Phoebe Killdeer and The Short Straws
Date: 20/2/08
Venue: The Scala, London
I just wrote a massive review of this, and then Firefox decided to crash, so don't blame me if this one is short and sweet.
Opener Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws were really good. Their jazz/samba/acoustic/folk/indie/funk (is that even a genre?) went down really well. Phoebe used to sing for Nouvelle Vague but it seems she has gone onto form her own group with The Short Straws as her band. A really tight and mesmerising performance from both band and singer.
Nouvelle Vague took to the stage and opened with A Forest (The Cure) which was amazing to hear live. They played a fantastic set of slow and more upbeat songs, including Too Drunk To Fuck (Dead Kennedys), Blue Monday (New Order), Friday Night Saturday Morning (The Specials), Ever Fallen In Love (Buzzcocks), Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) and Dancing With Myself (Billy Idol). The high lite has got to be their version of God Save The Queen (Sex Pistols) which was played with just an acoustic guitar and one of the two female vocalists which I think was Melanie.
Overall well worth the treck to Kings Cross to get to the Scala and the £20 for the ticket. I really hope this band don't decide to 'go in another direction' and alter their bossa nova covers of 80's New Wave and Post Punk artists because the rearrangements that they create are so removed from the original sound, it's refreshing to hear some of my favourite songs in a completely different covers format as opposed to your mates band down the pub banging out yet another rendition of Teenage Kicks.
Unfortunately couldn't attend Nada Surf, but Hot Chip in Brighton on Thursday should be a good one.
