New Hero, 13th February 2009

Any band that insists on playing all its shows with big silver balloons spelling its name out on stage is almost certainly guaranteed to entertain. Das Pop, paying their second visit to Brighton in the last six months, touches down at New Hero on Valentine’s Day-eve (if such a day exists), to pick up the lonely hearts with a night of fun, frolicking and a master class in simple pop song writing splendour.

Unfortunately for Das Pop, it appears that about half of the sold out New Hero is in attendance to see Shoreham locals, Absent Elk. While playing through a competent set of well-crafted pop songs, which are no doubt soon to be drawing comparisons to the Hoosiers for the band, it’s a pity that the local audience they’d attracted doesn’t stick around to see them. The remaining crowd however, is treated to an energetic and rousing show of shiny pop brilliance. .

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the ‘three part Belgian, one part Kiwi’ band plays pop music. Having honed their craft since they formed at school, and already having two albums under their belt, they are impressive showmen, particularly frontman Bent Van Looy. Constantly parading across the stage, his dry humour and impeccable live voice make him instantly likeable, and with guitarist Reinhart Vanbergen – who with his beard and dungarees looks like he could have just stepped out of the Magic Numbers, or a farm – they form an always intriguing and entertaining band. Even the absence of light to illuminate the group (a young lady is drafted in to follow Bent with a torch the whole set), does not hinder their performance. .

Climbing atop a perilously dainty speaker during, ‘Never Get Enough’, a track from their forthcoming album, Bent leads the audience in a quick call and response refrain, which only further pushes the point that music doesn’t have to be complex and intelligent to be good. Sometimes it just has to be like a junior school choir practice; uncomplicated, effortless, and as fun as jumping around a stage with your name spelled out in big silver balloons. .

Words by Dave Drummond
Photography by Paul Mulley