When they first broke the surface via the superb ‘Three Moods Of..” EP a few years ago, you either fell for Noisettes’ dizzyingly manic energy or wrote them off as “just another garage-rock buzz band.” The latter perception, attributed to guitarist Dan Smith, is clearly something the band have been trying to move away from with their second album ‘Wild Young Hearts’ (out March 30th). A successful debut record in 2007 led to tours around the world, a spot at Reading Festival and a brace of memorable stadium shows with Muse. Tonight they were back in Brighton to give us a taster of their forthcoming material.
Having been inundated with requests for support slots following a Myspace blog post, they picked local troupe Le Band Extraordinaire. Dodgy name then and a sound that is heavily indebted to the gypsy-punk of Gogol Bordello. While this makes for high-energy antics and some interesting musical structures, the songs ultimately ended up blending into one amorphous mass that I can remember next to nothing of, except the passing notion that floppy fringes with a short-back and sides are just so damn hot right now.
After some rather bizarre spoken word interludes, Noisettes take to the stage. It’s apparent that this is a band entering a well-earned maturity. They brim with confidence, but this time around it’s not born of a brash punky attitude, rather a focused, polished professionalism that will surely see them evolve into the bonafide stars they always promised to be.
Relentless touring and a willingness to experiment has seen the band taking steps into new areas with their songwriting. After romping through ‘Don’t Give Up’, new song ’24 Hours’ goes down a treat. Shingai’s ever commanding vocal display echoes of classic soul, turning the dirty scuzz-pop they do so well into some sort of rock-motown hybrid that certainly hits the spot.
Having praised the sold-out Brighton crowd early on, Ms. Shoniwa is in clear control, all eyes track her every move. She doesn’t leap about and scale the PA quite as wildly as days gone by, but tonight her performance is characteristically flawless. New single ‘Don’t Upset the Rhythm’ is stronger for a live rendition, with a more powerful, gutsy sound than the uber-slick radio version. It’s the most overtly commercial track the band have produced but thankfully as the night progresses we are plied with more new material that truly bodes well for the new album as a whole.
Having sat the whole room down on the floor, she stood in the centre of the room belting out the beautiful ‘Atticus’ in a moment that was infused with a rare brand of gig magic. Faces were all smiles, mesmerised, lost in the experience. It was something that little bit different from the norm, something more involving and heartening and only served to endear them to us even more.
For me, Noisettes have always been a live band. It’s clearly where they are in their element and its where, as a fan, you really learn to love them. Having come this far and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, their fate now lies entirely in their own hands. It’s my suspicion that’s the just the way they like it.
Words by Jody White
Photography by Ruby Allcock
What did you think of the gig?
Paddy, 24, Brighton (right) – Rating: 8/10
“It was wicked. I didn’t know about them before apart from that tune from the car advert.”
Clare and Holly, 24, Brighton – Rating: 9/10
“We hadn’t seen them play before and didn’t really know what to expect but it was great. She’s got a really good energy. And she’s hot. She got us on our knees so what else can you say!”
Izzy,19, Brighton (left) – Rating: 9/10
“Super! I think she’s a goddamn genius!”
