Brighton's best...
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The Bluetones...
review No, I had no idea that they were still together either! But ten years after the Britpop heyday, the Bluetones are still plugging away to somewhat diminished returns and attention it seems.I’ll put my hands up – I was one of those people who eagerly bought their first slew of releases such as 'If…' and 'Bluetonic' and then stopped sometime after their second album when Britpop fizzled out. So could this gig ever be anything more than a nostalgic trawl through excerpts of my youth? Reading up on them prior to the gig I’d heard that they’d evolved their sound, taking on influences that are more Led Zep than Kink. And, with the two support bands ranging from bare-chested Stooge-rock (River 44) and four to the floor blues (Psychobabble), I anticipated an evening of beefed-up Bluetone. The Bluetones don’t seem to have picked This was, however, a polite, restrained gig. The Bluetones don’t seem to have picked up many new fans along the way and the once strong Blue Army now consists mainly of couples gently rocking back and forth or nodding; only being spurred into action by direct appeals by the band to clap along. I cynically expect an appearance at any moment cigarette lighters held aloft, but that’s a step too far. Promising to explore the full range of their career, the band receives the most positive reaction for tracks from their first album, 'Expecting to Fly'. And I can’t deny that it is nice to hear them perform stuff like 'Slight Return', 'Fountain Head', 'Talking to Clarry' and 'Marblehead Johnson' again. And they do them well. They’re great, catchy little tracks. Plugging new stuff from a soon-to-be-released album and more recent obscure efforts from an imminent b-side collection only serves to reveal that their later stuff is more of the same: jangly guitar pop with fey vocals, a bit like The Charlatans or The Stone Roses. I keep willing them to Aside from 'Expecting to Fly' material there are some standout tracks, such as 'Never Going Nowhere', with its catchy refrain of ‘I don’t love you anymore’; “If…", a pleasant singalong number; and the impromptu bass, guitar and vocal sketch played while a guitar issue is dealt with impresses. But it’s all a bit…nice. I keep willing them to rock out a bit more, but there’s a lack of sparkle and energy which only spells for a slight return from The Bluetones.
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