大象传媒

10.05.08 | Plug 'n' Play | Reading | Kicks | The Bad Robots | OK Tokyo

See photos of the night here:

Another steaming hot evening and the second pilgrimage in a week to the sweatbox that is Plug 'n' Play for me. It really is the cracking music that lures me into an evening of dense fug and shiny foreheads.

For one, Reading superstars OK Tokyo are playing their last gig before heading off into the even hotter climes of Ibiza for a monthly residency.

Nice work if you can get it.

The band I see first are Reading's Kicks, who have blossomed into a tight-knit unit of steel.

They are the band who prowl on stage like a pack of wolves in sports jackets, the immense power of their performance is in part due to the conviction with which they play.

It's a momentous display of impassioned indie noir, peaking with bold exclamations and shimmering guitars.

These young lads are confident and brash and have everything going for them.

London's The Bad Robots are a surprisingly jaunty and jovial fixture after the seriousness of Kicks.

Far be it for me to judge a book by its cover, but the Rasputin-Devendra Banhart look of the frontman, complete with bare feet, led me to expect a folky element to their set.

But in fact the sonic bounce of the Bad Robots smacks of good strong radio-friendly indie pop. And they light up the stage with fast-paced happiness that bands such as The Holloways and Scouting For Girls would be proud of.

Then it's the turn of the pyro-pop trio OK Tokyo. It's a guaranteed good night when these boys are on, because their passion for their music is undimmable.

They sustain a sparkle throughout their punchy set of hits-in-the-making such as You Better Believe It and Marvellous.

The fierce falsettos, the colossal crunch of fast-fingered riffs and the indie ecstasy they exude sends fans bopping like maniacal fleas around the dance floor (I'm one of them).

Ibiza: watch out!