James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
But first, the support bands Flash Fiktion and The Neat are definitely worth a mention, particularly the former, whose chirpy, synthy sound certainly deserved to drag more punters away from the bar than they actually did. In contrast, The Neat were well received by the growing audience, but despite their attempts to resurrect the punk era (bless) with questionable lyrics and shrieky vocals, they only managed to elicit some approving nods, rather than a revolution.
Although the venue could never have been described as rammed, it was certainly very full by the time Young Knives (sadly bereft of tweed) ambled onto the stage, to a chorus of cheers and whoops from the audience. They let rip with one of their strongest songs off the second album, Terra Firma, which excited the crowd with its bouncy punk-pop riffing, but didn’ t quite get them jumping around.
The band are currently promoting Ornaments from the Silver Arcade, an album that, well, hasn’ t been given the highest ratings by the critics. There was a jokey air of self-deprecation as the band frequently referenced this between songs, and, fair enough, the audience only truly got going on a play of the classic 'Weekends and Bleak Days’ from the first album. This was “from 2006,” noted lead singer Henry Dartnall drily, “ when people actually bought records”. Yet despite this, a live performance brought so much more to the new songs. The next single, ‘Human Again’, was fantastic, and ‘Silver Tongue’ had a rawer, spikier delivery when stripped of the glossy female backing vocals present on the record. ‘Storm Clouds’, ‘Glasshouse’, and ‘Love My Name’, also went down well as part of a terrific and energetic setlist.
It’ s immediately clear why Young Knives have earned a reputation for being such a great live band. Not only do the songs, particularly the guitar riffs, invite singing along, but they make every effort to put on a good show. During the songs, Henry and the House of Lords often shared the mike, and whilst tuning up, bantered about drummer Oliver’ s upcoming wedding. Unfortunately, the final song ‘Current of the River’ contained That Awkward Moment Where You Forget The Lyrics To Your Own Song - cue an extended intro and a lot of humming – but they ploughed on regardless, and it didn’ t stop the audience raucously demanding an encore.
To paraphrase one punter, Young Knives may not have been at their best on Tuesday night, but York still love them, and I hope they return to us soon.
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