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Radio 1’s finest Kissy Sell Out and Belgian rockers Goose took the stage this Wednesday at Fibbers.
First on the set was Kissy Sell Out, or rather Kissy with a few extras. About half way through the set the guitarist mentioned it was their first live show ever and to be honest, you could tell. It wasn’t that they were bad, it was more that they looked so delighted to be there. To begin with, I did find their style slightly unimpressive and I was a little disappointed, but by the end, this did in fact prove to be part of their charm. On that stage, Kissy was perhaps the most likeable man in Britain, upon announcing it was his Birthday that day, the whole crowd launched into a rendition of Happy Birthday for him, not shutting up until the middle of the next song.
Overall they were good, but I do wonder whether the crowd warmed to them more because of their likeable demeanor, rather than their talent as commanders of the stage. Songs they played included Essex Boy and a personal favourite right at the end, Garden Friends. Kissy has often said in interviews that ‘Sell out’ became part of the name when he realised he had tried to please a wider audience, yet this, and the merry quality that comes through, is perhaps what makes his music so good.
Next up were Goose, a slightly harder electro rock quintet with a bit more attitude. Equally as listenable, the massive synths and repetitive melodies served to make a good bit of dance music. Their music has appeal in that the keyboards weren’t always drowned out by the guitars and hearing them live did make a difference, the effort that went into their music was more apparent, helping to appreciate the intricacies that came with it. Performance wise, they certainly had a lot more presence, the singer swaggering around and occasionally shoving the microphone into the crowd. The classic ‘Black Gloves’ was played, along with other tunes such as Bring It Own and British Mode. A decent length set, it appeared to be popular with their audience.
Overall, they both played good gigs. The best thing about Kissy Sell Out and Goose was the positive feeling in their music, at the end of the day, part of the reason the enjoyed the night, was because it was fun.
I was a bit disappointed by Kissy Sell Out as well - his remixes are amazing, as is his radio 1 show, so I found his pretty low key set a bit of a let down
On the plus side, goose were great.
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