After their first U.S. shows in New York last summer, I wasn’t sure if and when Sheffield’s THE LONG BLONDES would make it back to this country. I’d only heard about them last December when I read about them BT Issue #57 and since then, I’ve been a vocal fan after checking out their MySpace page and their recent run of brilliant singles. Thus, when I found out that they’d be playing a show here in Philadelphia several months ago, I was excited. Unfortunately, though, their Philadelphia debut wasn’t in an ideal setting. It was at Transit, which is a hot, overcrowded nightclub and not a place where rock and roll bands typically play. Let’s just say that between the labyrinthine makeup of the venue, the lack of ventilation combined with cigarette smoke and sweltering heat, and the music being played at a volume that didn’t exactly encourage conversation, the one-hour wait after we arrived seemed more like three or four hours.
Regardless, when The Long Blondes finally got onstage at around half-past midnight, they overcame a poor sound system to deliver a thrilling, dynamic performance. Singer KATE JACKSON is the true star of the show here. Her commanding stage presence, appearance that just oozes sex, and powerful voice struck me so I couldn’t take my eyes off of here—I bet that most of the crowd couldn’t either. However, it should be mentioned that drummer SCREECH (despite the regrettable nickname that makes me think of the TV show Saved by the Bell) also makes The Long Blondes stand out from many other bands with his syncopated, hi-hat heavy drumming that relies more on disco beats than any indie-rock conventions. This sound reminded me of FRANZ FERDINAND and after seeing them live, I finally understood the comparisons. However, between Jackson’s vocals and the band’s twin-guitar and keyboard-based attack, they also reminded me quite a bit of early BLONDIE and ELASTICA, but rougher around the edges. They opened with the great B-side “Lust in the Movies’ and ran through all of their singles in a short, thirty-minute set, most notably “Appropriation (By Any Other Means),” “Separated by Motorways,” and the new “Weekend Without Makeup”. In addition, they also played the as-of-yet unreleased “Once and Never Again”, which is the best song that they’ve written so far.
Since they just signed a contract with Rough Trade, I’m hoping and expecting big things from them. I eagerly await a full-length album after all these singles, as well as their next visit to the U.S., which just may be in the fall supporting a bigger band (you heard it here first!)
