Apr 27 2009 10:47 am, Shelley Jones Pic:Tom Bunning
Heartbreak/Me My Head/The Binary Kids
Levi's OnesToWatch,
The Macbeth,
London,
24/04/2009
Levi’s OnesToWatch know exactly who’s wearing the trousers in new music, and tonight’s showcase of eclectic fresh talent in Hoxton's back pocket is no exception. The Binary Kids kick things off with their rude grrrl rapping over synth-heavy backing tracks. The Welsh twosome somehow shed their Newport accents, and come across more like Croydon’s answer to Daphne And Celeste, spitting bitchcore polemic over brutal beats aplenty. With this rabid electronic fusion behind us, we are faced with the slick, dark, and well-enunciated new romantic leanings of Me My Head, who are the only guitar-driven band on the bill. ‘Night Is On Fire’ sees lead singer Charlie Moss articulating like Bowie as The Goblin King, plastering curses over electro-rock melodies. Next up are tonight’s bombastic headliners Heartbreak. Frontman Sebastian Muravchix struts on stage in a cropped leather jacket that has been quite heavily reinforced at the shoulders, a thin black moustache resting above his top lip, and a clump of wispy hair floating asymmetrically above his bonce. He and bandmate Ali Renault launch into ‘Living Just For Fun’ which showcases their 80s synth pop-ness, as Muravchix rattles off a few Depeche Mode-y “I just can’t get enough”'s in the opening bars. Alarmingly, we're exposed to some Flight Of The Conchords-esque vocoder-distorted backing vocals, but Muravchix does his best to convince us that Heartbreak are just the right side of taking the piss, treating us to gutbustingly passionate vocals and hip-disclocating disco dancing. There's even room for his special ‘eye flick’ move - where he pretends to grab out an eyeball and flick it into the crowd, exclaiming, “Take that disco dancers!”
With surreal lyrics, and parody-spiking levels of electro-pop brilliance, Heartbreak's cock-eyed trendiness wins out. Laugh? You might. Dance? You definitely will.
Shelley Jones
