03 October 2005

The Paddingtons

Hype upon hype has raised these twenty-something Hull-based popsters to cult status before anyone in the real world has heard more than a note. I risked a tickets at Southsea’s Wedgewood Rooms for 2nd October and took up position somewhat conspicuously among three hundred college teens.

Support from “Deville” and “Dustin's Bar Mitzvah” set the scene with their untidy, pouting punk. A distinct shortage of finesse was just about balanced by the fake snarling attitude of ‘Jimmy White’s on Crack Again.’ Fashionably late, “The Paddingtons” swaggered on at 10:15pm and ran through a weak set of “Libertines” by numbers rip-offs. Hard to work out why teeny punkers are taken in by these fake rough diamonds, even harder to fathom how adult music journalists are equally hoodwinked. A late replacement guitarist can't have helped but this was poor.

I may be approaching fifty but I know the real deal and this wasn’t it. Eventually the hype-meisters may learn that one catchy single maketh not a classic band. In the meantime guys like these will continue to be pushed forward into an arena they are just not (and perhaps never will be) ready for. Don’t take my word, ask the folk who were sauntering out after half an hour. I lasted forty minutes before joining the stream of early leavers.

Pretend tough boys can’t fool me. Bring back the fucking Libertines and let’s see and hear true passionate Brit Pop, hard and angry.

7 comments:

{illyria} said...

i'm not updated on my bands, but i take your word for it. and that "true passionate brit pop, hard and angry" sounds extremely sexy.

Perfect Virgo said...

Trans - I follow modern guitar music very closely. Reckon I'm living a second childhood! The Libertines were underground stars whose 25 year old frontman hit the self destruct button hard last year and brought about the early demise of the band. They are hugely influential and much copied. I would happily send you an mp3 track if you like. Good word sexy, the real thing is always sexy. I have a spate of gigs coming up and I have better hope for the rest.

gulnaz said...

i havent heard the band you mention but yeah sometiems it seems its more about hype and marketing than the actual suff

Perfect Virgo said...

G - yes it's about how much money the record companies can screw out of them before tossing them on the heap. Bands have to be special to get past that.

RuKsaK said...

Did any good bands come out of Hull? Actually, I have to confess that I saw the Housemartins live about 15 years ago and they were surprisingly good live.

Perfect Virgo said...

Finn - live music is my drug of choice these days so I am bound to get a bad trip once in a while!

Perfect Virgo said...

Finn - I have tickets for "The Editors," "We are Scientists," "The Cloud Room," and "The Subways." All are Britpop/post-punk guitar-based outfits touting their debut albums. I have higher hopes for this lot...