Gigs

Gig Review: Dartz! + Tellison + Tupolev Ghost

Venue: Portland Arms, Cambridge
Date: 12 September 2007

Dartz!, fresh from their European headline tour, have opted to add on a whistle-stop circuit of several small UK venues with “character or soul”, as guitarist Henry Carden puts it; something he feels that the larger venues lack. Well, they’ve picked a rare night to play the refurbished Portland as their newly-installed giant TV screen is attracting a lot of attention.

As the first support act, Tupolev Ghost, supply their enthusiastic post-rock wall of sound to the band room, in the bar the national football team polish off their hosts and it’s not long before the latecomers are cramming in for Tellison. The band resembles some kind of crazed police line-up and it’s a good bet that the guy with the sampler and slide guitar did it. He doesn’t stop grinning throughout their set. Tellison are a joy, combining punchy guitars, soaring loops and energetic vocals to create tunes you can bop to. “New York, New York, New York” is the highlight with the harmonies absolutely pitch-perfect and with all four voices blazing out the chorus. Their brand of ecstatic indie-rock is one to keep an eye on for the future.

The problem with smaller venues is the drummers often get hidden behind banks of guitarists, but with Dartz! it’s a delight to see stickman, Philip Maughan, take centre-stage. Suddenly you can see the incredible movement and energy as he pounds away on his ride and crash cymbals whilst continually belting out vocals into his overhanging mic.

Tonight the band is showing off debut album “This Is My Ship” and it is fast complex patterns all the way. The guitar fretwork is awesomely intricate with each band member dropping out in time to keep the sound minimalist; an incredibly effective tactic. The influence of Futureheads and Idlewild is ever present with “Cold Holidays” neatly displaying elements of both.

By now the buoyant post-football crowd is up for a bit of banter and it’s the Teesside trio who get it. But the boys are happy to go with it and even incorporate one particularly puerile jibe into a song. It only serves to keep the crowd smiling and laughing along with the band. They finish with an awesome display of dual vocals enveloped in a hammering backbeat and guitar riff. On the pitch and on the stage it’s been a night to remember.

Band links = Dartz! / Tellison / Tupolev Ghost

Review commissioned by Music-Zine.

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