Cat’s Eyes
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
05/09/2011

The lavish and elegant sounds of Cat’s Eyes’ début album are a cut above your average indie toilet venue and so it’s fitting that the duo, Faris Badwan and Rachel Zeffira, are presenting a live version of one of the year’s most intriguing releases at Queen Elizabeth Hall, part of London’s impressive Southbank Centre.

There is a hushed atmosphere in the all-seater auditorium with latecomers held at the door before making their entrance during the polite audience applause. That’s not to say that there is anything uptight about Cat’s Eyes, however. Faris might be more confrontational and aggressive in his Horrors guise but he still cuts loose on occasion tonight, letting out a piercing scream that kicks ‘Sunshine Girls’ into life and prowling the stage with a casual air of menace. Both Zeffira and Badwan impress when the spotlight is on them individually, however, they shine when together on the stylish ’60′s girl group aesthetic of ‘Face In The Crowd’.

It is the lush, cinematic flourishes that characterise Cat’s Eyes best and joined by an orchestra and choir this evening, they truly shine. The big-screen drama of songs such as ‘I’m Not Stupid’ and set opener ‘Cat’s Eyes’ is matched perfectly by well considered projections. These images, often sexy and suggestive, add an extra dimension to the performance and don’t just look like a host of random artsy shots for the sake of looking cool. Ending with the Syd Barrett penned Pink Floyd song ‘Lucifer Sam’ is yet another glimpse inside the sprawling collection of all things vintage back at casa Badwan.

Somewhat inevitably, with the ever rising profile of The Horrors, Cat’s Eyes is destined to be a temporary flirtation but as elicit affairs go this is proving to be one of the most romantic of the year.

David Renshaw