OKGO positively bounded onto the stage with an energy level that seldom dropped below the “fast and furious” during a set list of 15 songs, plus a few unscheduled stops for lead and microphone stand changes.

One way of ingratiating yourselves with the local crowd is to deliver a song they can reference to, and tonight, in Manchester, it’s the aptly titled “Let It Rain” and the dark skies outside duly oblige.  Okay so it may be a more appropriate story about their hometown of Chicago, but never let the truth get in the way of a good story

Shy and introspective are accusations that could never be laid at the door of OKGO. Yes they are all wearing ties, but not of the narrow, black uber-cool type, but broad, fluorescent, yellow affairs, clipped on with proper tie pins. The bespectled Tim Nordwind (who inspires fan dedication to the degree that someone has set up the Tim Norwind Fan Club (http://www.freewebz.com/tnfc/home.html) is a garish clash of stripes and colors, and he strides about the stage stamping his white shoed feet in a manner that Prince would do in his prime. His seemingly falsetto voice adds a Beach Boys type backing to the vocals of Damian Kulash

With a 4 year gap between the anonymously titled debut, and the as yet unreleased follow up, “Oh No”, the large crowd struggles to sing along to the unheard material, as much as they want to dance to it.  So throw in a cover of ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down” and the loudest roar of the night ensures

Kulash’s voice may sometimes be remiscient of the all too often name checked Bob Smith, but that’s probably by coincidence rather than a deliberate ploy.  Their music bears little resemble to Cure material, and live it’s mainly a guitar attack, with the keyboards sparingly providing the aural diversity.  It’s melodic in parts, agreeably rough in others, and Kulash controls that stage with an ease associated with rock stars.  Control is the right word, so that when he asks “Hey you, the tall guy” to get “Two Jameson’s.  Make that doubles” the drink quickly appears on the stage. Plus the change from the fiver Kulash passed across

If the Thrills can zoom from nowhere to seemingly everywhere, it could be all go this summer of OKGO

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