The Young Knives @ Cockpit
By Dean EagletonOn the surface of things, The Young Knives do not come across as an instantly likeable band. Their whole geek-chic image, seemingly meaningless moniker and ludicrously named bass player (The House of Lords, those of you who were wondering) make it easy to mark them down as achingly hip, annoyingly pretentious passengers on the indie scenester bandwagon where being able to pout is much more important than being able to play. They've even been produced by Andy Gill of suddenly adored post-punk pioneers Gang of Four for Gods sake. Do they want people to hate them or something? To be honest it really doesn't matter because as soon as they begin the show in a packed out Cockpit on a dreary Sunday night in Leeds, all the aforementioned bad points become irrelevant trivialities because the truth is that The Young Knives are superb. They may dress like a very poor man's Strokes tribute band but musically they are capable of crafting perfect three minute dance floor anthems that sound like Talking Heads one minute and Sex Pistols the next. Any worries that this gig would be inhabited entirely by stony faced posers are trashed as soon as Here Comes the Rumour Mill is aired, the audience going mad for the songs off-kilter, angular verses and the massive, guitar thrash out of the chorus. The soon to be re-released The Decision receives a similarly rapturous reception but for the people getting sweaty at the foot of the stage, tonight is about more than just the singles. That's why people go equally mental for album tracks like In the Pink and why the only time people aren't dancing during B-side Kramer Vs. Kramer is when they are scratching their heads, wondering how it missed out on a place on recently released LP, The Voices of Animals and Men.
The band's onstage banter also never fails to delight, be it when they are taking the piss out of the so called "Nu-Rave Revolution" and the glow stick waving punters stood down the front or scaring the hell out of some fresh faced indie boys by trying to coax them back to their tour bus after the gig. Yes, believe it or not The Young Knives have a sense of humour too. The first part of the gig tonight finishes with Weekends and Bleak Days (Hot Summer) which ensures a stunning end, despite the fact that for most people in the Cockpit, thoughts of a hot summer are now but a distant memory. The bands encore provides two very different highlights. The first is a rare live rendition of bonkers album track Tailors which is equal parts entertaining and baffling whilst the second is, obviously, the finale of She's Attracted To. Probably the band's best song and definitely deserving of a place in the hearts of every music fan in the world, this final song means that everybody leaves the gig in high spirits, misconceptions and first impressions shattered but with huge smiles on the faces all the same.
