Last Gang In Town, The Suffrajets and Little Man Tate @ Fibbers – Monday 20th February 2006
Hyped Sheffield scenesters Little Man Tate continued their tour of the UK with a stop off at York.
A mass queue greeted me as I arrived at York Fibbers Bar, luckily I had booked my tickets in advance!
By the time everyone had filtered in the place was packed to the rafters with revellers all wanting to see LMT. Luckily for them they were in for a treat as the night was to give them an inspiring performance from LMT, a more than solid support slot from the sexy Suffrajets and a fine opening set by Last Gang In Town.
As mentioned Last Gang In Town opened the nights events. They played energetic Indie Pop, with a wedge of Alt Rock on the sides. Libertine similarities were noticeable but this is a complement. They played loud music, with real life lyrics and looked like they were having fun. To me that's what its all about.
Definitely gave the evening a bright start and set the tone for what was to come. Not ready to headline but having the makings of a good band. I will definitely go see them again. Best song of their set 'Beat Of Blue'.
The Suffrajets were second on stage. I had heard a few demo tracks which I thought were strong musically but had concerns about the lead vocals on offer from Claire Wakeman. May I just say, Claire, I am sorry. You proved my initial concerns to be unwarranted. Belting out strong, clear and tuneful vocals with great supporting vocals from both Alex Gillings (Rhythm Guitar) and the gorgeous Vicky Kingston (Bass).
Riotous punk rock is their main aim when on stage, this was shown at its best when joined on stage by part time merchandise salesman / part time punk rocker (with his band F*ck All Else To Do), Ribsy. He sang on the energetic 'Call The Police'.
Looking every bit a headline act in the making they were worth the entrance fee alone. Gemma Clarke (possibly the best female drummer around and so fit) was amazing on drums. I've seen her previously drumming for Babyshambles and she was better than ever on this night for the Suffrajets. I recommend buying 'Going Nowhere' (released 20th March) which was one of the best songs in their set.
To complete the night were the highly rated Little Man Tate. They lived up to the plaudits by sending shockwaves through Fibbers. Chants of LMT greeted the last note of the opening track, Man I Hate Your Band. The set managed to produce two crowd surfers which is no mean feat in Fibbers Bar.
Jon Windle on lead vocals was happy, confident and damn near perfect. He showed how to work a crowd without even trying.
I can't remember a gig with excitement levels quite like this. People sang along to song after song (even grabbing the mike to join in where they could).
LMT played as a team with Maz, Ben and Dan all producing to the same level as Windle. When Windle said it gets better everytime they play at Fibbers he wasn't wrong. The buzz around Fibbers was phenomenal.
With a refreshing mix of tunes that had catchy riffs and lyrics that are up there with the best, they showed they have enough in the locker to match the successes of the top indie bands. Highlights of their set included 'The Agent', 'Court Report', 'House Party At Boothys', 'What What You Got'…. Infact highlights were every damn song in an unbelievable 11 song set!
Last Gang In Town have lots to offer for the future and are worth checking out. The Suffrajets showed Punk Rock isn't just about screaming at the crowd, you can sing, play good music and look great. Lets hope they get some success as they deserve it. Little Man Tate played a blinder, had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands and are genuinely nice blokes. They release 'The Agent' on February 27th, it is a definite must have for any music collection. Check it out and check them out when they are next in a town near you.
Dom Chalk
www.myspace.com/domchalk
Site - http://www.littlemantate.co.uk
