Art Brut - Luminaire, London

The expectant crowd are first treated to a rocking set from the hotly tipped Official Secrets Act.  This London four piece rip through their short set in and soon show the form that has them on many critics’ hit lists for 2008.

Their first single Snakes and Ladders is a great, tight lovelorn number that has the crowd quickly falling in love with the bands art-rock eccentric and overwhelmingly English sound, there are echoes of The Clash in a lot of their lush sounding songs.  A highlight is The Girl from the BBC, a genuine sweet and catchy song that should slay fields across the country this summer.  It’s been said many times before but this lot really are someone to keep an eye on.  Now it’s time for the similarly critically lauded Art Brut to take the floor, now on their second album they continue to be adored and hated in quite equal measure, what is one mans favourite band is another’s novelty group that have taken the joke too far.  My foot’s firmly in the former camp.

Any plaudits can largely be placed at the door of Eddie Argos, the 27 year old man-child at the helm of this group of art-rock/pop funsters.  His witty, observant and largely confessional lyrics endure him to his fans in a way that many other bands could only dream of.  From singing about his erectile dysfunction on Rusted Guns of Milan (“I know I can, I know I can, I’m fine when I’m in my own hand”), to the one that got away on Emily Kane and his dreams of “drinking tea with Morrissey” on Moving to LA.
As soon as Eddie Argos and his troupe of merry men, and girl, bound on to the tiny stage at the Luminaire you get the feeling this is going to be a very special gig.  Kicking off with Direct Hit, the second single from their second album It’s a Bit Complicated, the band are off and never let up through an rawkus fan-pleasing set.

Ripping through their back catalogue with an intensity that only the sheer joy of playing can bring they quickly dispense of firm favourites Emily Cane, Modern Art and Nag Nag Nag Nag and they really are on fine form.  Eddie is joking around with the crowd, running backwards and forwards like a man possessed, even jumping on the bar at one point and ordering some Vodka and Cranberries before leaping back on to the stage and into another pop nugget.

The songs come thick and fast, Eddie leading the crowd wherever he wants them to go, he is not alone in his mayhem though.  Lead guitarist Ian Catskilkin takes control of any space Eddie has left and annexes it firmly for his rock posturing, he is a legs-apart, wind-milling and hand in the hair bona-fide stadium rock god transported to a tiny stage on Kilburn High Road. 

The songs pile up and too soon it is time to leave with only time for a quick encore of the Art Brut calling to arms that is Bang Bang Rock and Roll.  Joined on stage by Keith Murray of We Are Scientists the whole song is belted out with such force it feels like the floor is going to give way.  Thankfully it holds and the crowd is left sweaty and disorientated with only the ringing of the pop brilliance they just heard ringing in their ears. 

Art Brut, Top of The Pops indeed.

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