Straw @ Rocket
By Geraldine PughCube scare me. It defies all rules of rock when even the drummer is good looking. Yet it makes sense with the mirror-posing rock that they play. Never have a band thought that they were rock stars without actually being them. Yet maybe it's this confidence which will bring them success. When you hear perfectly crafted pop tunes like 'Have Another Drink..' it beggars belief that Polydor dropped them last year looking towards a more pop market. New songs are in the same vein and Crazy Girl is very catchy. Maybe with the 80's revival we'll get a late 70's one on the way because they'd fit in the glam scene perfectly and make damn good pin-ups. But they find it hard to get a lukewarm crowd going and they need not only the look of showmen but to develop some showmen's charm.
Straw take to the stage and the difference in style is apparent. It is quite frightening to see a band like this still around in the 21st century. In 1996 this would have passed for sub-Britpop band-wagoneering but today it is just embarrassing. There is no future for a band who rely on songs which Dodgy did a lot better - and look what happened to them. They really are as insignificant as their name. It's upbeat indie-schmindie at it's worse and to add insult to injury it's not even tuneful.
