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The Lodger / Theoretical Girl / Strange Idols
London, 93 Feet East
Article
written by Ged M
Apr 29, 2007.
First on the bill at 93 Feet East is a tough gig; the layout and the fact that the entrance is at the furthest point from the stage means it takes a while for the venue to feel less than “sparsely attended”. You get the feeling that Strange Idols let this get to them. They don’t help themselves by allowing long pauses between songs while they decide what to play in the absence of set lists: it just looks half-arsed. Musically, they’re fully arsed: their guitar-driven songs are marinaded in the 80s sound of Felt and the Chesterfields and crammed with melodies. They’re joined by a trumpet player for the fab new single ‘She’s Gonna Let You Down Again’ while ‘It’s No Fun’ totally belies its title. In a small venue, with a crowd better warmed up, I suspect they’d go down really well but I’d have liked to see them fight harder against the general apathy.
Amy Turnnidge rounds out her Theoretical Girl persona with a backing band, the Equations, who are a vision of elegance amid the gloom of the venue. Their look and music set up perceptions that are swiftly subverted, as if you're wandering into a forest and meet the Big Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood but this time the wolf's gone vegetarian and it's Ms Hood who's psychotic. Amy’s electro-pop and post-punk songs are like sweet candy with a razorblade centre, with 'Red Mist' and 'Hypocrite' adding seething lyrics to hypnotically catchy tunes.
Location is important with The Lodger; conceived in Ben Sidwell's Leeds flat, their music is Northern pop with Ben's strong Leeds accent, the shuffly Wedding Present beat and the witty love songs all symptomatic of Yorkshire music. Their forthcoming 'Grown Ups' album is aptly titled: the songs are about love and romance but reflecting the tricks and traumas of relationships rather than the usual infantile "I love you love..." However, their supercharged brand of pop is a bit flat tonight, although the standouts are the previous singles, the disco-pop of 'Getting Special', the C86 chiming guitars of 'Kicking Sand' and the wonderful 'Let Her Go' with its twisty verses and then epic chorus. Even if it's not a great spectacle, the prospects of the album have us salivating.
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