SHINY TOY GUNS.
They will take over the world. I've already mentioned them in my previous blog and they are one of my favourite newish type bands that i've been championing. I was delighted when my friend and her sister asked if I wanted to come with them to portsmouth to see them even if we did leave late and then got stuck in a stupid traffic jam because there was an accident on the motorway...grr.
BUT I DIGRESS.
We got there about 8.20 [for the aforementioned reasons) and doors opened at 8 so it was already pretty packed. Fran and Sarah headed off to the bar and me and Jenna made our way to the front. Avec glowsticks. (which taste BAD by the way, don't try it)
The first support were Plastic Toys, a 4-piece from Southampton, which disappointed me a bit because although they were ok, I was expecting Does It Offend You Yeah? and Neon Plastix to be the support acts, so STG must have changed them. Plastic Toys were your average rock, slightly electro, emo-y type band. They were ok, but the crowd didn't really get going much except when they offered free t shirts to the most enthusiastic fans. (A bunch of 19 year old boys to our left immediately started dancing. Laaaame.)
Plastic Toys played a few songs, 'Let Me Feel The Love' (ugh), 'The Tragedy' (not bad) and 'Dirty' (too slow). All in all, they weren't bad, but they were just nothing like STG, nothing like the other proper electro bands that were supposed to be supporting. And plus the lead singer, 'Si Jackson' was a Gerard Way wannabe.
Second supports were 'Midas', won't say much about them because they were pretty shite to be honest. Plastic Toys were better. However, the lead singer was quite nice and chatty, so the banter was good. Their music was just so so wrong for a STG gig. They played 'Red Shoes', 'Don't Dance' and Captain Kirk (to which the lead singer, Kris Lloyd devoted to 'all of you that are old enough remember the original Star Trek').
And now for the good stuff...
The Shinys took quite a while to soundcheck, and the soundcheck guy had a little fun with the mikes, '1 2 uuuhhhhuhh, check' which amused us. He had a little batter of the drums too. After about half an hour the lights finally dimmed and steam started appearing curling over the stage, and obscuring us, the crowd. They arrived to raptuous applause and said simply 'hey, we're Shiny Toy Guns and this is Rocketship'.
Rocketship. WHAT a song to start with. Started off slow, and when the electro breakdown came everyone just went absolutely mental. Anyone who's been to the Wedgewood rooms would know it's a tiny, tiny venue, so everyone was pretty close. I just remember looking around and seeing the whole room jumping up and down and dancing. It was a huge rush.
Next was Le Disko, one of their most popular tracks. Everyone was dancing to this and singing along to the chorus, great song. Fran and I knew all the words, sad little fans that we are.
Jackie Will Save Me - Amazing. A hugely powerful chorus which just totally blew us away. The whole crowd was singing along. Carah strutted her stuff like a true professional.
Rainy Monday - Nice, soft song. Gave us a bit of a break from jumping. Acoustic start, sung well.
Don't Cry Out - One of my personal favourites. Great lyrics. 'Don't cry out, Cease fire.' By this point I was sopping wet with water (they threw it over us), sweat, and other people's sweat. It might be worth mentioning that several girls in front of us were dancing in their bras. Ew.
Chemistry Of A Car Crash - Another of my favourites from the We Are Pilots album. A slowy. Amazing song, vocally. The chorus always gets me. Lyrically sound. Great guitar solo. This was probably the song I was most looking forward to them playing, and they didn't disappoint.
Waiting - For a very vocally challenging song, the lead singer mastered it beautifully. Not the kind of song you can dance to. We just kind of stood there and revered in it. Lovely.
They finished with Starts With One, one of their singles. Guitar riffs at the beginning, then the drums kick in and everyone starts jumping and punching the air. Some people got bollocked for crowd surfing, but you can't blame them. Good song to finish on.
All in all, a fantastic set. I wasn't sure they could pull off their song live as well as the album, but they did, and then some. Everyone had a great time. They are true professionals and I believe they are going to have great success. The crowd was a mixture of teens to 25 year olds, chavs to scene kids to goths. Their fanbase is diverse.
I would go on to describe the crazy shenanigans that went on when we left but i've rambled on enough already! Seriously, see Shiny Toy Guns, it's well worth the money. Go to a gig at Portsmouth wedge. Big bands. Intimate venue. Bar. Booze. Great =]
stargirl out.
1 comment:
Sounds you had a great time :D
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