Reviews

Image has always been an issue that generally corresponds with the musical taste of the month but recently it seems to have taken a turn for the worse; chart music seems to be simply image without a cause.

When suffering in these media spawned draughts of creativity, the soul desperately searches for something different, something you can relate to. Enter stage left… Whiskycats.

Whiskycats (c) Karen McBride

Their music is immediately accessible, concerning itself with the modern, fast-paced mood but also sounding like it could have been birthed in a tiny smoky bar somewhere in Russia by the locals.

Matthew Whitaker, who fronts the band playing guitar whilst singing lead, brought a very charismatic, adrenaline-driven attitude to the performance. His combination of catchy melody and clever lyrics really won the crowd over, and it’s good to hear a band from the north of England who sing with their accent but aren’t ripping off Arctic Monkeys.

As a Whiskycats novice, I did wonder, halfway through the set, whether they had variety. No sooner had the thought crossed than I was slapped in the face by the brilliant Maureen. Also worth noting was the band’s take on Blur’s Girls And Boys, delivered in a wonderfully eccentric manner.

Tonight, Whiskycats became the first unsigned band to headline the new Academy 1. With brilliantly catchy tunes like Slipped Disco, it’s easy to see how they got this far by themselves.

Mainstream music may be in a bit of a state, but rest assured; Whiskycats are here to save you.