Art Brut + Pink Grease.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2 7th November 2006.

Reviewed by Simone / Photographs by Liam Scarlino (www.liamscarlinoonline.com)

There's a crackle in the air at Esquires tonight, as fresh from the cover of the Rolling Stone (in Germany), ART BRUT are due to take the stage, almost exactly a year to the day after having to cancel their show at the Angel due to illness. And the Angel's loss is Esquires' gain, as over the last year the boys (and girl) have begun to succeed where Oasis and Robbie Williams have failed and become our biggest export since... erm, James Blunt.

But first, Mute labelmates PINK GREASE are here for your aural pleasure. There's quite a thin line between being amusing, entertaining and passionate, and being a comedy band, and at times you fear that the Sheffield lads may get a bit close to crossing it. Appearing onstage throwing around a strobe light that may or may not have been knocked up in a CDT class and an apparent penchant for 'New Rave' style shell suit tops, I'm not quite sure if I should be cracking open the glow sticks now, or saving them for the KLAXONS gig in December. The look, it seems, is not quite in keeping with the music, which is probably best described as the new millennium’s glam rock. I think the word I'm searching for is 'interesting'.

And so to ART BRUT. Now I confess, in all the interviews I've read, the band have shocked me by naming their influences as all those little indie bands I've always held dear, but in the singular belief that no one else could love them like I do. There is an equal amount of fear ('what if they're rubbish live?') and excitement, for I loved 'Bang Bang Rock and Roll', and 'Nag Nag Nag Nag' (that's one more Nag than Cabaret Voltaire, fact fans), the new single, insinuates that spending months on the road with We Are Scientists hasn't softened the band's edge. All that, and there's the new guitarist (described as 'the YTS boy' by Eddie Argos), with some (Chris) Chinchilla sized shoes to fill.

So how did they do? Well, judging by the crowd reaction, and the huge grin on my face, pretty pretty good. Opening with 'Formed a Band', Art Brut rip through their debut album and show us all why they've embarked on filling the Hoff's shoes as the new biggest thing in Germany, and reached the giddy heights of number one (uhuh) on the American Independent charts. With Argos as the leader in what clearly feels like their gang (Kasabian should be taking notes), rallying the troups with a cry of 'Ready Art Brut!" at the start of each song, they're fast, they're tight and they're brilliantly articulate. For one night only, it feels like we're in Art Brut's gang too.





'Emily Kane' is greeted with a roar (club), as Eddie recounts that he'd heard from the protagonist, and if he can let go, he rallys the crowd to do the same for their old flames. 'Moving to LA' will leave me and the old man wandering around the house singing about "drinking Hennessy with Morrissey" and 'ice tea with Jay-z' for the rest of the week, and the scene is set for 'Rusted Guns of Milan' with the tale of attempting to consummate a relationship in a tent during a wet Glastonbury in 1998. 'Nag Nag Nag Nag' is as rousing live as it on record, and the only complaint that I can rustle up is that the set was far too short.





You know that when Eddie falls over because he's tripped over his microphone lead cum skipping rope, with the explanation that they're 'used to bigger stages', our small but perfectly formed Esquires stage can't hold this gang for much longer, it's time for them to leave us all with smiles on our faces and a map of the country, trying to figure out how many times we can call into work sick and how long it'll take us to drive to Glasgow/Leeds/Brighton for another chance to be part of the Art Brut gang.