大象传媒

It's a glorious sunny evening and it seems a pity to be heading indoors to The Stiff Kitten. Thankfully the promoter, Red Roof, has struck gold once more by bringing another fantastic, yet underrated band to Belfast.
Fresh from a successful E.P. launch in the Mandela Hall last week, Southern are the opening act this evening, but only a handful of people mill around during their set, the youthful trio showering our sun-kissed heads with soulful, uplifting, summery vibes. Making their music with only a minimalist drum kit, acoustic guitar and soaring harmonies from siblings Thom and Lucy Southern, they have a surprisingly full-bodied sound. They nail a cover of Angus and Julia Stone's 'Big Jet Plane' and round off the set with the country tinged, foot stomping tune 'World Don't Shine'.
The relaxed mood instantly changes as Girls Names hit the stage and raise the tempo of the proceedings. The crowd has thickened dramatically during the interval and many of them nod along appreciatively to their fast-paced raucous pop music and haunting, ghostly vocals. Although it's a refreshing sound to experience on the local scene, their songs seem to blend into one another with little variety. Despite the band's lack of audience interaction the majority still seem hooked throughout, a few individuals even daring enough to pull some shapes in the latter stages of the set to the likes of standout songs, 'I Lose' and 'S茅ance on a Wet Afternoon'. A generally well-received performance, but I feel that the band will need to raise their game if they want to follow in the footsteps of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
The Pains launch into the title track from current album Belong, and immediately we know we're in for a great show. The band couple an upbeat indie electro sound with the heartfelt and poignant vocals of front man Pip Berman. As the set progresses the crowd become more and more responsive, and 'Young Adult Friction' gets a large section bopping along. It's a very cohesive performance, jam-packed with striking guitar riffs, melodic keys and awe-inspiring bass-lines, most notable during the breakdown in 'Heart in Your Heartbreak'. Towards the end of the set, the volume seems to rise, leaving both the lead vocals and keys drowned out, particularly during 'Come Saturday'. However, many of the happy punters don't seem to mind as they dance and sing along regardless. Before they wrap things up, Pip pauses to bond with the audience and informs us that he is glad to be playing Belfast because Ash is one of his favourite bands.
From tonight's gig it's hard to see why The Pains of Being Pure at Heart don't have a bigger fanbase, but maybe others will catch on to their greatness soon. Let's hope they will be back to our shores many more times in the future.
Jamie Glover