Ludes
Live at Leeds Metropolitan University on Sunday, 23rd November 2003
It's official: My Red Cell offer no comfort to back pain. Not being skilled in the art of medical science or physiotherapy could be an excuse, but I put it to you the reader that if their barrage of leaping and yelping had been in any way exciting I'd have forgotten about my oh-so-amusing fall down a flight of stairs earlier in the day. I base this opinion on the fact that I enjoyed a whole set by The Cribs before them during which my thoughts drifted no further than The Strokes, Pavement and the intriguing bearded guy dancing stage right. To be fair My Red Cell had one song that sounded a bit like The Datsuns, but sadly there was no motherfucker from hell in sight tonight. And take off that bloody scarf inside - jeez, the lengths people go to be fashionable! Future Kings of Spain followed, and did we chuckle at their name being similar to Leeds band Future Sons of Rome. Oh yes. Whereas The Cell were consistently average, The Spain managed to surpass even the most average of average with moments of absolute dirge. But at their best - which is when they attempt to disguise melodies inside frantic distortion - they were like a little shining light of guitar pop and at the end of the day you have to take away such positives. They may even have a fleeting chance of relative success with some hints of Dinosaur JR, The Lemonheads and Weezer. Ludes headlined with an ounce more enthusiasm than that which went before. At times their energy even rubbed off on what had been a rather passive Leeds crowd. But it has to be said that their Coral-esque tunes are a bit too Coral-like to get away without mentioning The Coral more than twice.
