Hype, within the rather broad genre that is ‘indie’, seems to be more fervent and builds at a more rapid rate in the UK than it does in the US. Indeed American music websites often poke fun, understandably so, at the way NME regulate the musical taste of our nation’s youth. And it’s not just average-at-best British bands that they champion; it’s their American counterparts too.
So if you haven’t guessed already, Vivian Girls are a hyped band – so far so ‘not their fault’. The unusual thing here though, is that it seems the hype has originated and largely remained that side of the pond. The rather meagre turn out at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge suggests that this is one band-wagon the Brits are just not jumping on, and on the strength of this gig it wouldn’t be too hard to see why. On record the melodies in their songs manage to seep through the slipshod guitar playing and tinny, lo-fi, reverb-heavy production that actually added to the charm of their self-titled debut album, but live it just gets lost, especially when the vocals are flatter than Denmark (on record they are no Iran). The only tracks performed with enough clarity to shine here were “Wild Eyes” and “Never See Me Again”, definite album highlights also.
In terms of stage presence and personality, Vivian Girls lose points here too based on this performance. For the most part they look rather disinterested as they rattle off their short, sharp bursts of Phil Spector-does-shoegaze pop, which some could argue is due to the small-ish, static crowd. In terms of the chicken or egg type of question that is always poses in such circumstances, my belief is that it’s the band’s responsibility to perform to a level to ignite the crowd - after all, they are the ones in the entertainment industry, not the crowd.
They do engage with their audience at one point, although it’s not until the final track, when the three members, Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy, and Ali Koehler swap instruments mid-song. It’s been done before, but to the girl’s credit it doesn’t feel tired or gimmicky, in fact it’s all rather charming (impressive too, it seems their best two instrumentalists are both drummers). It does however paper over the cracks that were apparent this evening. For all their scrappy charm on record, Vivian Girls’ are just too shabby live. So for once America - stick that in your hype and smoke it.
Re: Vivian Girls [Live] @ The Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Originally Posted by jack s
I have never heard that word before, is this a Mike Copyright '09 creation?
Sadly no - it's a propa word n evryfink!
__________________ “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”Hunter S. Thompson
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Vivian Girls [Live] @ The Ruby Lounge, Manchester
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