Union of Knives

 

The weird noises and beats that welcome Union of Knives to the stage take so long to die down that no one seems to know the point at which the set actually begins. Certainly, the band is at least half way through their opening song before the chatter of the crowd begins to quiet. Playing beneath the ominous glow of “XFM On Air” signs, the band stands deathly still, playing note-perfect renditions that fail to engage an increasingly restless audience. The chatter rises; people take photos of one another and the drift away from the floor becomes progressively more apparent as the set wears on. Only the debut of a new track and the timely use of the singles gets people moving on what is, otherwise, a flat performance that continually comes third best to the call of the bar and the lure of a trip outside for a fag.