The Sunshine Underground @ Faversham
By Andy Buchan
Strange things are happening in the dance world. Warp records not only sign Geordie punk monkeys Maximo Park in a holyfuckthisisn'tthenewBoardsofCanada moment but they also release a white soul album. By Jamie Liddel. The techno genius who devastated dancefloors in his Super_Collider guise.
And then, as if that wasn't Kerrang crazy enough for you, City Rockers - home to Tiga, Felix and FC Kahuna have signed a mop topped guitar band from Leeds via Shrewsbury. But, The Sunshine Underground are no ordinary band. Oh no. Energetic, funky and with more swishy electro noises than Tom'n'Ed Chemical squared, they are the New Yorkshire Rapture. With cowbells on.
Starting with an insane didgeridoo noise that sounds like Shaun Ryder coming up off a weeklong bender, the propulsive bass starts to build, while the ferocious guitar licks are as sweet and addictive as crack lollies. And then Craig's voice cuts in. Half histrionic screaming and half "how the hell did he reach that note" screaming, it's so emotive and gut wrenchingly visceral it would have even the most hardened cynic boggle eyed in delight.
It's not just the vocals that impress though. Filthy electro squeaks and squarks fire loose from the keyboard, providing an endless dark'n'dirty club moment. The New Order feel is everywhere, destroying all before it in a blitzkrieg of bass. Cowbells are smashed so hard that you begin to wonder whether there's a personal vendetta there while the whole thing flows as easily as bullshit from your drunk mates mouth.
Unfortunately it all has to come to an end. But not before the barnstorming, riot raising 'Put you in your place' is unleashed. With singer Craig happily bashing away at a spare drum while grinning and screaming like a lobotomised Monkee, the rest of the band go tech-noise crazy, with the brain jumbling, leg pumping electro making the indie fringes positively drip with excitement. Breaking the record label rules has never been so exciting.
