Could Do Better: NG Magazine Reviews Boy Kill Boy

2007-11-09 08:35:53

It can normally be called a compliment when a band is quite clearly bigger than the venue in which they play. Either that, or they haven’t realised their full potential. The latter appears to apply to tonight’s headline act Boy Kill Boy, a band far too big for the Social, but one that would struggle to fill Rock City. An in-between act, if you like, one that hasn’t quite built up the fan base or the confidence to star at a more major venue.
    
Not that there’s anything wrong with an intimate venue like the Social. For one, the audience who have turned up (some 250 tonight) feel special, like the five lucky kids clutching a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Moreover, the Social is bright and energetic, providing a bar that is just two feet from the stage, and ominously, a “Whacking Wall” for particularly hyper occasions.
    
Tonight threatens to be one of the more sombre atmospheres. The support acts, local students Electric Mouth and London band The Haunts, provide a pleasant enough drone. Like many supports, however, one can’t help but feeling that the lead singer is deliberately incomprehensible to make the main act look better. The expectation of being served at the bar by one of the band members later in the night is also palpable.
    
In contrast, the crowd are visibly woken up by the headliners, especially as they begin with arguably their best known song, Back Again. Other established hits such as Civil Sin, Friday Friday and Suzie, are further crowd pleasers, with those enjoying a quiet pint in the downstairs bar surely fearing that the ceiling would give way at any moment.
    
Interspersed with these hits, however, are a mixed bag of new songs, from Boy Kill Boy’s second album, Stars and the Sea. While Rosie’s On Fire and Promises are well received, others such as AOK, No Conversation and Paris are distinctly average. The quirky and mature approach that has given the band their name has been replaced at times with songs that frankly lack a cutting edge.
    
Nevertheless, Boy Kill Boy delivered a lively and enjoyable set, although often their more established tunes were saving the performance. It is tribute to their considerable talent that they left the crowd happy despite not resorting to playing a cover – which proved a shame given that their version of Joe Jackson’s Different For Girls is nothing short of sensational. In terms of their new album, however, whilst some songs are delivered with the same verve and energy of those on Civilian, other contributions are sadly lacklustre.
    
Boy In The Corner: Adam Harwood
    

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