Live Review

Cutaways – Buffalo Bar, Highbury

• 24th Apr 2009

A dingy basement in North London is no place to be on a Tuesday evening, but a reasonable turnout tonight suggests it might be worth my while to stick around. They’ve come mainly for the headliners, Belfast three-piece Cutaways, who made modest waves with their debut Start Stop! Start Stop! EP and look like carving out a name for themselves with forthcoming album Earth and Earthly Things.

ONO Palindromes kick things off in fine fashion with their bristling mix of punk swagger and pop sensibility. It’s a good opening set not short of a memorable chorus or two.

Brighton’s Lonely Ghosts take things in an angstier direction. Frontman Tom Denney belts out impassioned vocals from behind his keyboard and the band hit a high with future single ‘Come down from the mountain’, an endearing little rallying call to the heartbroken. All good so far.

Then the headliners take the stage and launch into the infectious ‘weapon of choice’, one of the standout tracks from forthcoming full-length Earth and Earthly Things and a statement of intent from a band more than capable of matching the frenetic, tight sound of their recorded material onstage. More of the same follows as Cutaways show off their array of top-drawer indie hooks and bouncy guitar and synth work. Frontman and lady Paul McIver and Grace McMacken share vocal duties, a trick that comes off particularly well on the relatively mellow ‘Wrong Cause, Right Words’, which gives both a chance to reveal a more refined melodic ability.

It’s hard to pick a highlight from a setlist with no weak links; each song is an abrupt slice of energetic dancey pop joy and with a short eight-song set, the band never look like outstaying their welcome. I leave feeling appropriately sated and with a handful of the evening’s melodies on repeat in my head.

I learn from throngs of replica-shirt bedecked Arsenal fans outside that the area’s favourite football club had just participated in an eight-goal thriller up at Anfield. I’ve seen enough tonight to convince me Belfast’s best-kept secret are headed in the opposite direction to Liverpool FC’s title hopes.