New Found Sound @ Cabaret Voltaire

If Little Doses' album can reflect the charisma of their live shows, this will definitely be one to pick up

Article by Hamza Khan | 11 Apr 2007
It must be daunting playing the first few performances of your career as a band. Only half a dozen shows or so into their own, if local newcomers Gildoza (3/5) are nervous tonight they don't let it show. From the outset they rock the crowd into a dancing, jumping frenzy. Playing an amalgamation of glam rock, funk and punk, their suggestive lyrics and gaudy beats create an immoral free for all for those listening closely, and sweet sweet noise for those who aren't. Not bad for an opening set. Friends of friends fill out the crowd and their excitement lasts throughout. Whether this enthusiasm can be sustained by the quartet for longer sets and harder crowds remains to be seen, but promising starts and natural ease mean the battle is half won.

It's hard for organisers to predict a crowd's flow, but placing dense shoegaze after dancey rock is never a good idea. Vitamin Flintheart (2/5) do their best to retain the excited crowd but it eventually teeters out from lack of elevation. However, unlike those bands whose musical inability is masked by their brash stage presence, Vitamin Flintheart suffer the opposite affliction. Each member plays well but lacks any form of cohesive presence. By the time they ring in their closing track, a strong number with real energy, it proves too late to rescue a now lackadaisical audience.

Power chords jump out of amps as KiDDO (3/5) take the stage. "I know it's Tuesday but… Are we having fun yet?" poses front man Raff. The crowd, engaged again, scream in affirmation. "That's what I like to hear, happy Tuesday!" A scruffy-haired four-piece fresh around the gills, KiDDO play affable, good fun music with the charisma to back it up. Their sound flicks between Strokes inspired jaunts and potential radio rock hits. Songs about lost best friends and spoilt pretty princesses flow quite naturally. The performance itself proves tight and the songs retain enough diversity to sustain their audience.

Little Doses (4/5) hit the stage decked out in red and black, oozing confidence. Lead singer Kirsten Ross languidly gestures to the crowd with one hand, clasping a champagne flute in the other. Their banter is comfortable and funny and each song displays depth with layers of texture which manages to muster a full sound from a single guitar. Their new single, Mile High, reflects a move towards more complex arrangements and there is a distinct difference between old songs and new, though the band is barely a year old. If their album can reflect the charisma of their live shows, this will definitely be one to pick up. [Hamza Khan]
www.myspace.com/gildoza
www.myspace.com/vitaminflintheart
www.myspace.com/kiddoband
www.myspace.com/littledoses http://www.myspace.com/nfspromos