Hot Club de Paris @ The Cluny, Newcastle [Review]

Hot Club de Paris were supported by Gullich and B>E>A>K. It took place in the Cluny in Ouseburn, Newcastle; A very understated venue which is small but has good floor space, fair-sized stage, excellent acoustics, and a lot of heart.

It was an exhausting experience on the whole, but by no fault the bands and by every fault my own. I did not sleep the previous night at all and was up and walking to uni by 8AM and didn't get home till 6PM. By the end of the night I had been awake for 36 hours. On top of this, I had barely ate, so I was hungry as well as knackered.

Show started with indie-rock threesome Gullich, who I was left largely unimpressed with. If one was to take apart and dissect their music you'd probably realise it is some good stuff, but together I found that it didn't mesh, making it sound clumsy. I also found them quite boring, with nothing standing out or catching my attention - much unlike the next band.

Mackem five-piece, B>E>A>K, where quirky and gimmicky, and to those that don't take their music absolutely seriously, very fun to watch. A quick look at their MySpace will show you exactly why they are gimmicky, but for those that can't be bothered to click the link they are basically guys in bird masks (hence BEAK) delivering their own brand of "bird rock" instrumental, complete with bird-related names (some personal favourites where "Only The Crow Knows" and "GET YA BEAK ON!"). Music-wise, it was atmospheric with minimal lyrics, which I don't normally go for, but it all founded good from my ears, but it was my eyes that would like to thank them most.

Then Hot Club de Paris came on and blew me away. They're on a record label called "Moshi Moshi", which might be quickly becoming my favourite record label because of these guys, Slow Club, The Drums and Dananananaykroyd, as well as two of my long-time favourites Hot Chip and Bloc Party. Anyway, these guys were awesome on so many levels. From math rock explosions to catchy, tingly pop-punk, their music delivered on all levels with even their slower songs having the strength to excite me. They also bring good humour to the table; not only with their quick audience interactions in between songs but also with a couple of a cappella performances. In that sense, one can say HCdP are a band with two personalities, one of which I don't think would be noticeable on a CD. In that sense I'm glad I got introduced to them live rather than by recordings.