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The Adelphi, Preston
Saturday February 24th 2006
 On first appearance, Preston’s ‘Adelphi seems about as rock ‘n’ roll as
Swiss Tony’s front room. Decked out in dim, moody lighting and swathed in
a smooth lounge-hop soundtrack, the venue is more reminiscent of some
bourgeois lounge bar, than anything normally associated with a good ol’
rock show.
Luckily, Burnley boys The Merrymen arrive on the scene, polluting the
pretentious atmosphere currently wafting through the air like cheap
perfume with their jovial, thrown-together punk.
If there’s one thing that really stands out about the mischievous
Merrymen, it’s that musically, they’re not very good. Surf-rock solos
slip and slide over each bass-led chunk of sloppy punk; like north-west
England’s answer to The Pixies, if Frank Black & Co.’s modus operendi
was prating about and having a giggle.
And it’s here where the band excels. For whilst they’re never likely to
win any “song of the year” awards, the frivolous threesome approach each
number armed with a huge dose of working class humour and launch
themselves full on with alcracity, rocking out as though their lives
depend on it.
Touted as one of the most popular bands in the area, home-town
favourites Baby B---- (BB) take to the stage next with their sleazy
hybrid of Glam, punk, and desert rock. Unoriginal yet not uninspired,
the BB boys are an eclectic bunch, the more dominant side of the group
looking for all the world like the product of interbreeding between
members of Rachel Stamp and King Adora, who just happened to drag two
vagabonds from the street to give them a hand.
However, music isn’t actually supposed to look like anything, is it? And
this posse of Neo-Glam poseurs are heroically saved from caricature by
their catchy, scuzzy punk rock that threatens to stick in your head for
days. Indeed, where their predecessors this evening faltered, BB
positively shine. The instantly memorable “Bad Candy”, with it’s
swooping desert-rock riffage is the sound of Fu Manchu being seduced by
a drunk Brian Molko, and, like much the rest of their set tonight,
despite the cliched lyrics and lack of individuality, it rocks. It rocks
damn hard.
Offering something unique however doesn’t seem to be a problem for
Manchester lads The Whiskeycats. A group of 70s throwbacks playing 60s
swing, jazz, blues and funk all lightly sprinkled with a dash of folk.
Hotly tipped on the Manchester music scene, with recommendations from
the likes of Elbow and The Doves, The Whiskeycats seduce the audience
with their smooth sounds and have them dancing away with some seriously
funky rhythms
The likes of “Locked Out Lover” stagger and slide as sultry grooves roll
under an arresting horns section, breezy acoustic guitar and contorted
melodies. It’s this kind of harmonious jazz-pop that makes these lads a
sure thing for mainstream success. After being the only unsigned band to
fill out Manchester’s Academy 3, and packing out Ronnie Scott’s Jazz
Club in London, it seems like such an easy task to force this once
reserved ‘arthouse’ crowd to shed their inhibitions and strut their
funky stuff in a venue that, on final appearance, is absolutely perfect
for tonight’s show.
Recommended Links:
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www.whiskeycats.com - The Whiskeycats official website
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www.prestone.co.uk - Find out what’s going on up in the Preston music
scene
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