You could hardl;y call my review of Panda Su comprehensive since, thanks to everyone talking to me, I caught all of two complete numbers from this female singer songwriter. I'd been intrigued by her songs on myspace, but in a sense was surprised to find a female singer playing acoustic guitar backed by a guy who'd taken a leaf out of the Esperi stable, using tuned percussion in a quite delicate manner as bells and things accompany Miss Su's songs. She confused me too - her voice is not a zillion miles away from the lead singer of Pearl & THe Pupets - the headline band - with a rich, full sounding voice that is quite heartwarming. The songs sounded quite hypnotic folky affairs, sung with feeling and conviction, not to mention a sense of fun and pathos too, and overall, I wished I'd got to see more of it - maybe next time.
But I have to say that I was primarily there to see Hello Pirates, even though I had no idea what they would be like. That they played one blinder of a set, came as a rather welcome bonus. They came on stage as a quartet fronted by a lead female singer who is immediately the centre of your visual attention, with the others on guitar, bass and drums. The first thing you hear is this wispy female vocal introduction then - blattt!!! - in come the band. The sound of the electric guitar chording is just wonderful, very deep and resonant, almost psychedelic. The vocal is seriously strong and powerful but absolutely in tune and just soars effortlessly into your head as the chorus rises up with an almost self- harmonising hook, a brief burst of lead guitar break, the icing on the cake. The second track opens with more resonant lead guitar as the rhythm section hammer in, before that glorious voice soars in from the top and continues to fly upwards over thunderous bass and crisp, tight drumming. The song itself is a sort of power ballad, AOR by any other indie name, which slows mid-song only to build into this epic of a track as the verses glide into the choruses to mesmerising effect. The third track features an explosive opening from the band which then subsides to feature the strong vocal that simply fills the Doghouse, the harmony vocals from the drummer adding extra depth. The song is lyrically rich, commercially addictive and delivered beautifully with richness, finesse and rock power. A repeated vocal hook has the band surging in as they then fly back into the verse on a wave of dual vocals. Fourth track in features a great guitar-driven intro with feedback leading into the main riff then the durging thunder of the rhythm section as the vocal powers out on top, increasing in intensity on a fast-paced verse that was almost pop-punk-ish. The way the song ascends, climbs even higher and then naturally glides to earth, is just amazing, as the band motor ever onwards. Mid-song dynamics add bite as the whole thing drives to a finale via churning guitar, driving vocals, solid bass and dramatic drumming, a searing heat guitar break addding to the excitement and enjoyment. I missed the fifth track thanks to a fone call, so it was track 6 that proved to be a surging song, even heavier than before with a belting vocal, strong, rich resonant guitar and driving rhythms, as the vocal really lets loose with urgency and force, flying upwards on a wave of harmonies and a red hot guitar lead. It's nearly the killer song you've been waiting to hear, almost reminiscent of a mix of modern rocking Todd Rundgren and Edinburgh's The Janes with a hint of Come On Gang in there too. The final track featured a sort of "ticking clock" vocal over lone lead guitar before the band explodes into staccato indie-dance heaven as the vocal flies in a thoroughly indie-AOR fashion with a dense, soaring hook at its heart. You expdect the song to ignite, but instead it burns brightly with intensity, using once again the idea of a repeat vocal refrain rather than an actual chorus, going from verse to hook and back with hypnotic effects, the band playing it very dynamically to dramatic effect. Overall, a fantastic band, a great performance and while still in search of the song version of the Holy Grail, it's still amazing stuff that you'll want to hear again and again, live and on CD.
The last - and first - time I saw Pearl & The Pupets, also at The Doghouse, I discovered a warm-hearted electro-acoustic folky band with a gorgeous pop sensibility and songs that just wouldn't let go. Which is probably whay I wasn't ready for what we had tonight. Although I wasn't there at the time, there has always been a lot quoted about how traditional folky Bob Dylan fans pretty well went ballistic when their hero plugged in and went electric, in hindsight a tad extreme a reaction from a somewhat biased audience not prepared to open their ears and give things a chance. I would imagine that's how I was tonight - instead of twee and gorgeous, the band unleashed this massive slice of folk-rock with a drummer who was, in parts, overshadowing the rest of the band. The songs were there, but the delivery was....well....not what I was expecting, and it threw me. Now, I know it shouldn't have, but I can't help it - I kept wanting back what I'd seen before. I didn't want a loud band where he gorgeous vocal of the female lead singer had to holler to be heard. In essence, although I still liked what I was hearing song-wise, the magic had gone - the thing about he band that, despite my reluctance to admit it, had captured my heart, was no longer there. I felt empty and stupid. I wanted to love it - but I couldn't do it. Now, after all that, I lok back on it and think that I need to overcome this and see the band again, when perhaps my open mind will return once more and I will appreciate what is a superb band, a bit more than I did tonight. Call that a review? Well, you can call it what you like, but it's honest and from the heart - you wouldn't expect anything less from me, would you?