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With an arduous touring schedule to contend with (14 gigs in as many days) the gruelling nature of the road has clearly paid dividends for The Crookes as they stride confidently through their set.
Playing their guitars high-capo with an almost circular-strumming motion, Backstreet Lovers is a more than worthy addition to the Morrissey/Marr songbook.
Built around stop-start rhythm section maneouvers and simple arpeggios the song receives one of the night’s biggest cheers, its upbeat melodicism disguising its gritty tale of city life gone bad.
Whilst singing bassists, with the very notable exceptions of Lemmy and Paul McCartney aren’t exactly common, lead singer George is earning the kind of plaudits, which must make him start to dream of attaining their lofty status and is an animated presence on stage.
Whilst vocally he owes a debt to Steven Patrick Morrissey, at times his stance at the mike makes him look like a dead ringer for Alex Kapranos.
Talking of appearances, focusing on barnets as an indication of their musical influences, the band comprises four members who succeed in rocking extremely differing hairstyles. Guitarist Dan’s 1950s James Dean quiff nicely offsetting George’s madly cavorting indie kid fringe.
Godless Girl boasts a brooding bassline and staccato single string guitar riff explodes into its subtlely anthemic chorus of ‘How she now sits oddly with the times’ sounding like a rewarding imaginary collaboration between The Kings of Leon if they were blended with Orange Juice.
Recent single Bloodshot Days moves the audience sufficiently enough for some patrons to indulge in what looks like an indie rock version of the lambada, with patrons shuffling rhythmically across the floor.
‘Yeah, Yeah, We’re Magicians’, its harmonized, flinger clicking intro evoking a combination of The Everly Brothers and The Housemartins, by way of a cover of Santa Baby concludes the set on a highpoint.
With The Masque easily having fallen prey to their charms, The Crookes old-school mission to win over one town a night by taking their music to the people successfully continues.
Photos by (Iwona Siestrzewitowska/Purple Revolver)