Clash Club, Luminaire, 17/02/07

Saturday nights: a time for drinking, dancing and fucking. Perhaps Clash Club didn’t get the memo as night openers, Alberta Cross, and their well-worn brand of funereal alt-country left the spirit distinctly unmoved. Their uniform of black hats and overcoats doing little to lighten the mood, the London duo proceeded through a thirty minute set, which gave credence to the argument that music is as much about the moment as it is technical accomplishment.

The arrival on stage of Kubichek! sent a buzz through the room. Aided, no doubt, by an initial PA problem; the resulting whine of feedback spurred the crowd into action. Spiked guitar and repetitive, catchy lyrics brought reckless abandon that was delightfully offset by slightly indulgent solos and feedback play. Ending the set on new single Nightjoy the Newcastle lads tempted Kilburn’s finest to “put on your silver shoes and watch the house collapse”. What else are Saturdays for?

Frustrated minutes spent waiting for The Rumble Strips to perfect their sound settings were dispelled when they did start to play. Solid guitar and drums underscored by perky brass had heads, hands and feet moving in no time. Always attracting an appreciative following, the band, tonight channelling an aesthetic that was Dexy’s Midnight Runners via a vintage clothing exchange, moved through their setlist at full throttle, leaving the stage primed, sweaty and the crowd begging for more.