Now, there is late, very late, rock star late and I-am-having-the-worst-eyelash-day-of-my-life late.  So I start off my review of tonight proceedings with an apology to The Automatic and The Long Blondes who’s performances went unnoticed by me, I was stuck in the bathroom with some curlers and mascara trying to tame my significant others.

Attending this evening on behalf of Team DM was me…  and erm…  me.

Upon entering the venue we were greeted by what can only be described as the distinct indie screamo sounds of Forward Russia.  Some would say this is post indie that you can dance to but after two or more tracks your ears will be begging to be ripped off.  Don’t get me wrong; there are parts to FW that are individually able to be listened to, even pleasant to be listen to, ok that may be pushing it too far but  they’ve got some sweet melodies, a female drummer (always goes down well) and the oh so fashionable synth sound of today.  Add to that the yelping vocals of Tom Woodhead and it all becomes a bit of a noisy blur.

There was only one thing tonight that caused the usual ‘too cool to care crowd’ to panic.  The young lady who seemed to have had one to many or taken something she really shouldn’t have (probably in reaction to Forward Russia’s performance), rendering the loos “out of action” for quite a while.  The situation certainly reminded this young lady of one birthday she would rather forget.

It really wouldn’t have taken much from Boy Kill Boy tonight to absolutely slay.  None the less they gladly ripped open our music loving hearts and infiltrated it with their dancable indie rock.  Chris Peck took to the stage looking surprisingly unlike Richard Madley and more like the Indie God he is destined to become, once he has banged Fearne Cotton and graced the cover of the above mentioned magazine a few more times.

Like Franz Ferdinand without the ego, their performance was as near perfect as you can get.  Their overall sound could be likened to The Smiths doing Hard-Fi, with a little less politics and a little more beer. A set including Cheaper, a cheeky incredibly London sounding number, singles Back Again, the one with the Eton Rifles intro, and Civil Sin get a reaction as expected.  Susie? Suzie?!  Whatever.  Probably showcases how wild a muso crowd can get.  The song is witty and passionate and combines catchy riffs with Chris Peck’ distinctive vocal tone.  Stand out track of the evening had to be Ivy Parker, written by keyboard tickler Pete named after a favourite Aunt, the song has all the makings of a summer sing a long anthem, with no other way to describe it as epic, full and slightly dreamy during the verses.

Once again Boy Kill Boy show Manchester whats right about the NME,rather than the usual Pete Doherty wannabes.  With album Civillian out this week Designer Magazine can only expect the boys to be selling out venues like this around the country on their own merit.

Lucy Hartley-Macfarlane
Boy Kill Boy Photo: Kirsty Umback www.kirstyumback.com
Forward Russia Photo: Karen McBride www.karenmcbride.com