Do the splitz and say neat

The problem with living in a small-ish town is simple. Bands don't stop here when they tour. And when they do, nobody comes to see them. That was certainly the case last night when Brooklyn three-piece Oxford Collapse took to the stage in front of about twenty people. Poor turnout. To be fair, nobody had heard of the band, but they turned in a decent, energetic set with some solid tunes from their record 'Remember the Night Parties' and they dedicated a song to the recently deceased Anna Nicole Smith. As was the case later with the headliners, the vocals were too high in the mix to really hear any of the lyrics, which let the band down a little. But still, a good set.

By the time Thunderbirds are Now! took the stage, the crowd had swollen to an incredible thirty people. It's a real pity, because the Detroit band are really good. They played half and half from their last two records, gave it a lot of welly, and though the only people getting into it were me and Oxford Collapse, they were ace. 'The Veil Comes Down' is Foo Fighters for people that don't like Foo Fighters. 'We Win' and '198090' rock with the power of a hundred horses, and when the band are joined by Oxford Collapse, a sombrero and a cowbell on 'From: Skulls', it's really fun. They do a quick encore with one old song and one new ('The Making of Make History') and then they're off. TAN! are on tour for ever, including a few dates in Europe next week (London Luminaire on the 25th, go see them) so keep an eye out for them, ya heard. Listen to more songs on their myspace, as always.

Panthers in Crime / Harpoons of Love / The Veil Comes Down / 198090 / The World is Made of Paper / Open Us Up / Eat This City / We Win / From Skulls... Better Safe Than Safari / The Making of Make History

[download Oxford Collapse - Please Visit Your National Parks]
[download Thunderbirds Are Now! - (The Making of) Make History]