Operahouse, String Theory, The Culture.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 26th April 2008.

The worrying trend of gig absentees continued this evening as Camden four-piece OPERAHOUSE performed in front of a quarter full venue. It comes as a bit of a surprise as Zane Lowe, Jonathan Ross, XFM plus the written musical press have championed this band constantly these last few months. This allied to the fact that the admission price was a measly five pounds! A ridiculous amount, but then the choice is stark and real in modern day Britain. Is it an evening of music or a gallon of petrol? The choice, my friends, is yours! Judging by the turnout tonight it appears that the fuel rules! However, to be fair to the 'stayathomes', I found Operahouse a touch bland. Pleasant and totally inoffensive for sure, but there is little to distinguish each singular song! The set merges together in a satisfying but unmemorable half-hour. Signed to Marrakesh Records, their forthcoming single "Diane" (out on 5th May) is plugged and pushed. Their last single "Born a boy" opened a few doors and vocalist Johnny Lloyd seems a little surprised by Bedford's small but enthusiastic reaction to their quiet noise. Operahouse could be a band to watch out for over the coming months, but on tonights show, please don't count on it!

Local support came in two packages. Firstly the naive and young charges of STRING THEORY, who at present are the current flavour of 2008 at Esquires. However boys, be careful. Do not dilute the quality. A little too much chat with their mates in the crowd slightly mars what is overall a confident and assured set. "Lack of words" is a case in point, as this mini-anthem grows in popularity. Cover songs are always skating on thin ice, especially when it's a classic like "Johnny B Goode", but I feel sure Chuck would give String Theory a duckwalk of approval for their efforts!

THE CULTURE appear unusually as a three-piece and tonight they seem to want to be New Order instead of their usual Razorlight wannabees. The heavy bass sounds suits them, but there seems to be a darker element at work within the band. They are edgy and at war with the audience. Never a good thing as they are the lifeblood of any band. The Culture belittle themselves because of their absent bandmate, and the lack of atmosphere also seems to irritate them. Mixing a new selection of songs seems to partially sate their anger, but it is never enough to win me over. The undercurrents seem to run too deeply.