Rock Regeneration

May31

The Pigeon Detectives/The Frequency/Hooligan Choir

on May 31st, 2012 at 08:15

Mr Kyps, Poole

On a balmy night at Kyps we await one of Indie’s finest, The Pigeon Detectives. But first, two of our local bands get the show off to a flyer. First on are Hooligan Choir. These guys, recently trimmed to a 3 piece play indie with a hint of swagger. The obvious influences are there-musically The Enemy come to mind and I’m hearing a smidgeon of early Weller in singer Elijah’s vocal. Don’t let this put you off though,this is no Mod revival show! The band also have a loud and boisterous following with them tonight. After each song they chant “choir, choir”! This sort of behaviour hasn’t been witnessed at Kyps since Dorset Music Award winners Peace Love & Gloves were in town!

They open with “Jump the Gun” but we really hear the vocals better on “Born to be Mild”. “Push the Boundaries” is a highlight and talking of pushing boundaries,its when the band do their take on the Jam’s That’s Entertainment that we really see these guys in their element. They take it up a pace-it’s not for the purists but most of this crowd (me included) love it. Karl (drums) is frenetic one minute, relaxed the next while bassist Laur nonchalantly looks on. “Hooligan Blues” gets the choir moving before they end with Queincanta and Karl gives it the big solo, while Elijah and Laur strum away. Seeing these guys is a first for me, it wont be a last. They leave to generous applause and a chorus of “choir, choir”!!

The Hooligan Choir
–1–2–3–4

Next up are Bournemouth’s finest The Frequency. Tonight they are launching their new LP, given away free to all on arrival. ‘Fall to the Floor’ is an excellent debut and some of these songs are played for the 1st time tonight in their full electric set up.. They open with “New York Symphony”, which is the also the LP opener before moving on to set highlight “Sticky Little Finger”. Considering singer Austyn was nursing a sore throat and man-flu only 24 hours earlier he seems to be coping rather well as he hits the higher notes. Dan H (bass) is in usual rabble-rousing mode as he cajoles and encourages this now large crowd. Dan K just looks on, smiling in approval. “Steal a Phrase” sounds better than ever tonight,indeed the whole show is a marked improvement to the now “infamous” Bandalism debacle. “Same Old Nothing At All” gets us all singing while the personal “I Know You Know” is sung with real intensity. I rarely criticise this band but if there’s one thing that could be improved upon its Phil (drums) song endings-a little too reliant on the big finish(for me). However,the set in its entirety is near perfect and the response tells its own story. See these guys when you can folks,next stop headliners!

The Frequency 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13

And so to the headliners. Pigeon Detectives arrive here for the first time on the back 2011’s “Up, Guard & At Em” LP on this, the “Summer on the Sea” tour. Its a sell out crowd at Kyps tonight and it would appear everyone’s “well up for it”! Talk about intent-get the crowd onside early. They open with “Romantic Type” before the anthemic “I Found Out” The whole crowd sing as one as a massive pit ensues. Matt (vox) enthuses “that’s how to start a gig” – he’s not wrong! LP tracks and singles follow. “Emergency” is a highlight but all these songs sound great. The sound is clear and crisp despite the volume. Matt is swinging his mic lead like a madman while spitting water up in the air. He also shares bottles of water with the crowd, its now boiling in here. Sing-alongs, clapalongs, audience participation seems important to this band. At one point Matt takes a punters camera phone and snaps all the band before returning the camera to said punter. The mans energy knows no bounds. “Say It Like You Mean It” is excellent as is “Everybody Wants Me”. The band are also really tight despite the obvious heat. They leave the stage to rapturous applause before returning for a 3 song encore. The brilliant “Take Her Back” gets us jumping again while they end with “I’m Not Sorry”. This crowd,young and old have been spoilt tonight by 3 great bands. One can only hope the Pigeons come back one day so we can replicate nights like this. Once again another top drawer booking at Mr. Kyps. With the Buzzcocks gracing the stage some 24 hours later this is a great warm-up!

The Pigeon Detectives 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10

Set-Lists
The Pigeon Detectives
Romantic Type
I Found Out
What Can I Say
Emergency
Say It Like You Mean It
Can’t Control Myself
Keep On Your Dress
Done In Secret
Through The Door
I’m Always Right
I’m A Liar
Go At It Completely
Everybody Wants Me
Take Her Back
What You Gonna Do
I’m Not Sorry

The Frequency
New York Symphony
Sticky Little Finger
Run With You
Steal A Phrase
You Don’t Have To Know Right Now
Sam Old Nothing At All
I Know You Know
Save Today

Hooligan Choir
Jump the Gun
Born to be Mild
Hall of Fame
Push the Boundaries
Thats Entertainment
Leaving You
Hooligan Blues
Queincanta

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