Red Light Company @ The Cluny 11/03/2009

I have to admit, I made way down to The Cluny for the Red Light Company gig with a slight sense of trepidation. After all, there are only so many times you can hear their current single ‘Arts and Crafts’ being played repeatedly on the radio before you start to develop a little bit of resentment towards a band. However, I kept reminding myself that Grammatics, a new band everyone should hear, were supporting and that some of the songs from Fine Fascination, RLC’s debut album, were actually surprisingly good, so I kept the chin up and my mind open. First support The Chevrolites were an essentially standard lad-rock band of the moment but got the crowd a little excited, and main support Grammatics more than lived up to the hype, with a display that was as alternative as it was energetic, as tantalising as it was disappointing when they eventually had to leave the stage. So the scene had been set perfectly for Red Light Company to wander on and massively disappoint, and please all those kids who are so cool they hear one song and declare them the new Razorlight or U2 with a flick of the wrist and a turned up nose. But here’s the twist, they were actually pretty damn good. They prowled round The Cluny’s infamously small stage as if they were playing to Wembley, and every song was delivered with a verve and intensity that delighted the sold out venue. Crowd favourites such as ‘Scheme Eugene’ and ‘Meccano’ shook the surrounding area, and even ‘Arts and Crafts’ was given a whole new lease of life when delivered at this level. To actually appreciate Red Light Company, they have to be seen live, where a half decent album becomes anthem after pulsating anthem. Carry on this way, and they might find themselves in those stadiums after all.

Review by Rob Sellars

The Pigeon Detectives, The Virgins, Red Light Company @ Newcastle Carling Academy 27/11/08

With a line-up like this - it’s no wonder I trotted down early to the Academy, my aim – to soak up as much of this evening as possible. On meeting my fellow Yorkshire-man-friend this was bound to be a night of beer-guzzling, Pigeon-chanting and general obnoxiousness, and I wasn’t to be disappointed.
Red Light Company opened the night with their brand of chilled-out tunes, sloshing about somewhere between Death Cab and The Manics. Easy on the ear though obviously easier to appreciate if you know the songs – checking out their MySpace should definitely be on your to-do list.
I was particularly excited to see The Virgins, as I had been recommended them by a friend. Supporting The Pigeons for the majority of this tour, there seems to have been a lot of hype around this band, so I was eager to see them in the flesh. As the lead singer shimmied and stomped on stage to what can only be described as ‘funky’ music, the crowd seemed won over. There’s something about this band that I can’t quite put my finger on, maybe it’s the slap bass that seems to underlie most of their songs, or maybe it’s their irresistible melodies and lyrics that mean that I now just can’t seem to stop listening to them.
As expected, the crowd began to get more of a buzz about them, rowdy in anticipation for a rowdy band. The excitement peaks when those five leather-clad lads appear and jump straight into their usual set-starter ‘Romantic Type’. Now safe to say I have seen this band a fair few times, and after seeing such a large variety of their gigs – different venues, from tiny crowds to massive Leeds Fest-type crowds, they still never disappoint me; I find my feet dancing before I even told them to. With lead singer Matt spraying out water from his mouth and swinging his microphone around higher than ever – you know what you’re getting with a Pigeons gig. Old tracks excite the masses as do newer ones such as ‘This Is An Emergency’. However whereas the first album’s tracks impress, the second ones’ don’t so much – as the gig goes on they play lesser known songs that don’t really stand out and aren’t all that necessary. But let’s face it – how can they go wrong with an ‘I’m Not Sorry’ encore?

Review by Marzena Dabrowska