It’s Monday morning and were still recovering, this is what all day events do to you, were personally blaming John Kennedy and the XFM lot for an epic hangover.
The annual XFM X-Posure all dayer has become famous for showcasing the cream of the up and coming talent currently being spun on the airwaves by Mr Kennedy himself and this year was no exception with a nine band strong line up consisting of Pulled Apart By Horses, Theme Park, Weird Dreams, Cymbols, Peace, Hatchem Social, Anchorsong, Real Fur and Tall Ships all gracing the stage.
Putting a band like Tall Ships on first guaranteed that the intimate Barfly venue was packed from the moment doors opened at 2pm, the band had another show in Brighton that night which was the reasoning behind their unusually early stage time and low placing on the bill. This however meant that the crowd started busy and ended busy never thinning or wavering through the course of a long day which pays due to the strength of the line up.
Special guests and late announcements Hatcham Social were the first real highlight of the day after sets from Real Fur and Anchorsong went down well. Singer Tobias Kidd channelling his in Eddie Argos indie geek and addressing the crowd as ‘darlings’ in-between every song followed by the surprise impressive set of the day by Peace. The Birmingham new boys were certainly one of the highlights mixing 90’s guitars with shoegaze and electronics to create a massively impressive wall of sound. An excellent light show did them some favours but take nothing away from a well executed set – we’ll be keeping an eye on these guys.
Cymbals came and went and a disappointing set from Weird Dreams was the only ‘lull’ in the afternoon, their jangle psych pop not really conveying to a crowd who were now well lubricated and looking for something either to dance to or rock out too, luckily that was exactly what they got.
Theme Park are relatively new on the scene having only put two singles out but have received fantastic reception over the past few months with a quick rise to fame. They play an afro-beat indie set which gets everybody moving. What makes them great is that they don’t seem to care at all about image or stage presence they just enjoy themselves. Big smiles around as they fly through tracks ‘Wax’ and ‘A Mountain We Love’ – if summer was a sound it would be this band.
Finally our headliners for the evening, seven and a half hours after doors opened and 8 bands later we are treated to a blistering set from Pulled Apart By Horses. For those who keep up to date with this blog you will know we have seen this band A LOT (seriously we’ve lost count), we’re big fans and they can do no wrong but tonight they are better than we have ever seen them before. Playing a set that draws from both records sh*t quite literally hits the fan as bodies are tossed around the Barfly. Tough Love has seen the band focus and take their craft seriously, don’t get us wrong we love their silly side but with these songs they are tighter, stronger and more brutal than ever before. Guitarist James Brown is carried above the crowd while shredding a solo – not a rare event for a PABH show but a sight to behold none the less. A nod to drummer Lee Vincent and Bassist Rob Lee who shouldn’t get overlooked here as the driving engine behind this band and one of the reasons they are so tight, they never miss a beat.
Pulled Apart By Horses have always been one of the countries best live acts but now they can boast an a back catalogue of equal quality, the debut clearly not a one off. No sign of second album syndrome and a live show that gets better and better – sadly this size venue is a rare occasion to see these guys here in the capital but never fear we guarantee the upcoming Electric Ballroom date will be just as good…if not better judging by tonight’s performance.