The Computers
– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER –
Tonight is about one band. The Computers. A London based outfit who have wowed crowds all over the land with their sharp stage wear, energetic live shows and razor sharp rockabilly pop songs complete with a punkish snarl.
Today we’ve all packed into the delightful sweat box that is The Castle Hotel to see this one band bill as The Computers give us an exclusive look into their forthcoming album. The band have come along way since their humble beginnings in 2008, and with each release their sound has become less punk and a lot more pop, with their last album bringing some big hitters to the front which finally saw them playing to the crowds they deserved to play to. So, with all this mind, tonight is promising to be an exciting show! I personally really enjoyed the vintage pop tones of ‘Love Triangles, Hate Squares’, so i’m intrigued to see where the band take it for this next record.
The band push their way through the sold out crowd, clad in sweet jackets and shirts covered in roses and they start on an intimate gospal-inspried acapella track, with all members of the band taking backing vocals and vocalist Al crooning over the top. It’s an enticing start and a nice way to begin such an intimate gig, but I can’t help but thinking that the rest of the set will boast a completely new sound. As the set progresses, it becomes clear that the band have gone full on epic-pop, each track brimming with vocal driven hooks and strong high-hat focused beats.
In places it sounds like the more recent Black Keys records with a slick blues-rock feel which I think will sound cool on record but for the most part it almost seemed a bit too safe. This wasn’t to say that I don’t enjoy the set, Al is the kind of frontman who always wants to get involved; climbing around the room and embracing members of the crowd, they’ve still got the live show down.
Personally, I love the frantic, punk sprit of their earlier shows and material so I didn’t really take to this shinier new sound as much as I thought I would. However, there are some genuinely strong tracks in the set tonight, and with the frontman still full of life and vigour, this new record is likely to see this band in good stead to keep pushing to play bigger rooms and create a wider appeal!
THE COMPUTERS Official | Facebook | Twitter
I joined the Silent Radio family near the very start of my move to Manchester in 2012 and I'm still having the best time! During my stay here I've been in two noisy bands, had a not so noisy solo project, made a zine, started a blog and started a radio show. It's been productive to say the least and it's all been intersperse with a shit load of gig going and beer drinking. I would love it if you followed me on twitter @dr_brainless for excitable tweets about playing, watching and living new music.
