Neon Neon @ Òran Mór, 6 Nov

Article by Pete Ballantine | 14 Nov 2008

Marty!! Time to don those Aviators and jump into the DeLorean. For one night only, we are going back to the future. Well, back to the 80s it would seem, as Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip bring their paean to everybody’s favourite playboy car designer, John Z. DeLorean, to town. In keeping with the tone, we have block rockin' NYC hip-hop revivalists Yo Majesty (***) to contend with first of all. Cheesy as hell, but the downright exuberance of the twin female MCs certainly gets the party started.

It seems that Rhys is taking this tribute seriously. As Neon Neon (****) take to the stage, he’s looking a tad more trim than usual. Alongside the svelte Cate Le Bon, and the dapper Boom Bip it’s just as well he made the effort. It’s the tunes that make this trans-atlantic collaboration work though, all hardwired to an unashamed 80s pop chassis. Synth driven anthem I Told Her on Alderaan and electro-disco number Raquel whip up a frenzy before Har Mar Superstar’s potbellied break-dancing cameo steals the show. Rhys and Har Mar chug Buckfast out the bottle as the crowd belt out the chorus to Belfast and the final organ-driven funeral march Stainless Style descends into Boom Bip driven techno chaos. Great Scott! [Pete Ballantine]

New single Dream Cars is released via Lex on 9 Dec.

http://www.myspace.com/neonx2