The Dials @ Ego
Still learning new and more devious ways to sound both several years ahead of their birth certificates as well as more and more muscular by the day
Not been to Ego before - what a fantastic room. For any other Ego virgins out there, it's still got the same louche feel of the casino it replaced, and reeks of fading grandeur and endless possibilities of dirtiness. Which is a convenient metaphor for Amplified Playground's first act of the night, Bliss Creek, who make a cracking racket, all Queens Of The Stone Age vs Elastica, except there's the nagging feeling that with a bit of polish it really could be something special rather than just likeable. They are to be encouraged, however, and there are certainly worse ways to go about things.
Epic26, however, get totally hamstrung by the fact that the sound makes them appear as if they are playing through some sort of mud filter, or transmitting the performance in via the ocean floor. This is a terrible pity, because it is obvious - despite the sound trying very hard to prove otherwise - that the band themselves are all pretty capable and the singer can really give it some welly. Through the sludge I recognised a bit of Razorlight shagging a bit of The Rapture, which is not as horrid as it might sound, and at moments they sounded a bit like The Future Of Rock.
The Dials on the other hand have no such handicaps tonight. Getting better and better with every given minute, this three-piece crew of errant teenage miscreants are still learning new and more devious ways to sound both several years ahead of their birth certificates as well as more and more muscular by the day. Sporting a new moodier look - all black guitars for a start, plus a Dials-labelled drumkit, nice - the newer tracks like Keep You On Your Toes are noticeably more dense than before, while the earlier songs like Angeline seem to have developed a set of extra biceps over time. It's always a surprise when a track from two years ago still grabs you live, and set closer Ding Ding has still got it. Go and buy a Dials t-shirt now, so when the new material is out later on in the year you'll look like you know what you're playing at. [Alex Kirk]