Live Review

Sound Of Guns – The Haigh, Liverpool

• 14th Jun 2010

A more than warm evening at The Haigh on Saturday night played host to three Liverpool bands in varying degrees of infancy.

First up were DEATH OF A HERO, a fresh incarnation of former Merseyside outfit Black Velvet. Wasting no time in launching into a set full of pub rock tunes, the band quickly found their groove. And whilst ‘pub rock’ does have some pretty horrible connotations, I use it here in a more positive way. This is a band who who are stationed in that paradox of male-dominated British rock; that is touching upon the age-old subjects of love lost and heartbreak but walloping it out within the masculine framework of conventional rock. This is what Death Of A Hero do but judging by songs like set-closer Ours Only, they do it very well.

Next up were LITTLE SECRETS, and these first twenty words are, unfortunately, the most praise I can send their way. Bland, vulgar, brazen and shamelessly self-promoting; all reasons for me cringing into my own disdain before so much as three minutes of their set had elapsed. Their focal point being a gimmick of a lead vocalist in a skimpy white dress, concentrating so hard on pouting, it was surprising she managed to pour out those banal lyrics at all. What she brings to the world of performing, Jordan brings to literature at a canter. On an off day. Singer-based vitriol aside, even their strongest song Dreamer offered, at best, respite from a truly uninspiring bunch of songs. Never has indie-by-numbers worried me so much.

The final act of the evening were SOUND OF GUNS. Self-assured and carrying a swagger denoting their growing reputation, they arrived to a rapidly swelling crowd bustling in anticipation.

A 5-piece with a distinctive wall of sound approach, wailing guitars and marching drums give them an on-stage presence which, at the very least, stole the show on this night. Wielding material from their début album What Came From Fire, they quickly found top gear through the likes of the stadium-friendly Architects. They are not pioneers though and perhaps borrow too heavily from others; single Alcatraz in particular is very reminiscent of The Music’s Welcome To The North. Never underestimate the pull of one or two big choruses though, and this, combined with the tigger-esque energy of frontman Andy Metcalfe made for a thrill-filled frenzy of a performance.

For this group the next couple of years could be huge.