The Louisiana is one of those venues which every city has, the sweat-filled room above a pub, which proudly displays photos of all the now massive acts who’ve played there over the years. The 200-capacity venue has hosted the likes of Kasabian, The White Stripes and Mumford And Sons and here we have another hyped band with the potential to join them.

This is the first night of Howler’s 2012 UK tour and they’ve not long stepped off the plane. They’re underage in their home country, so the ever-shrinking bottle of Jack Daniels they plonk on the stage is not a good sign. The first thing you hear as they saunter in like they own the place (which, by the end of this performance, they will) is: “Jordan’s pissed!” Perhaps that’s the reason his baseball cap spends all night in different positions on his head, before being tossed to the floor.

Frontman Jordan Gatesmith could well be Johnny Borrell’s brother, except his vocals are a lot less whiney. While cute bassist France Camp is playing the predictable role of bad boy, save for snacking on an apple (apparently apples are really expensive in the States, or something).
The show starts slowly, but it isn’t long before they find their comfort zone with indie pop belter ‘For All Concern’. From the off, their influences are clear to see and if you close your eyes, you could convince yourself you were in The Strokes’ rehearsal room circa 2001 – none more so than during a riotous ‘This One’s Different’. ‘Back Of Your Neck’ proves an interesting addition to the set, adding a bit more depth with a rock ‘n’ roll riff and leaves you thirsty for more. But it’s the single ‘Told You Once’ that really seals the deal – a short, sharp, catchy anthem – in the vein of The Vaccines’ ‘If You Wanna’. Good stuff.

 Laura Williams