The band’s latest album is their 2010 fourth effort, ‘Light the Horizon’, on Pirates Blend Records and Sony Music.

MAY
26 BIRMINGHAM Genting Arena Lakeside
27 LEEDS Millenium Square
28 HATFIELD The Forum

Having spent the past two weeks in the studio recording their sophomore album, tonight?s solitary support act, THE SKINTS [4/5] come out with a need to play live. A deep 45 minutes set ensues with a chunk of the songs played coming fresh out of the studio. True to the suited-and-booted band?s ever-evolving style, those established tracks that are lucky enough to get an airing (?Murderer?, ?Get Me?, and the likes) are delivered with a renewed vigour and a heady dose of tinkering. An album recital this is not. Another high quality outing for one of the UK?s finest.

As the band stroll through the set, it?s impossible not to consider how effortless it all appears. Malinowski?s soulful voice reaches every set of ears, a superb accompaniment to the charmed mix of reggae, ska and world pop. ?12:59 Lullaby? comes over charming as the crowd takes on its vocals, earning a doffing of the cap from the band. It?s a long set but by the moment ?Stand By Me? segues into ?When The Night??, the surface barely feels touched. A medley of reggae classics ?Israelites? and ?54/46 (That?s My Number)? filters into an encore presentation of ?Rolling Stone? (new) and ?Nothing To Say? (old), a pairing that sums up the night; a catalogue spanning collection of passionate and exquisite tunes.

ALEX HAMBLETON

Photos by JOSEPH DUNCAN

Though flying the support act banner on their own, THE SKINTS do an incredible job. This band is just phenomenal live. They?ve done the circuit so many times, they know the music back to front and they put so much energy into it; no one came away from this support act unimpressed. A shout out to the late and great Gregory Isaacs was also appreciated. It was great to see the crowd gradually loosening up, and though there were a few people who were singing along, the majority of people didn?t seem to recognise their stuff ? but it didn?t matter to The Skints, because they thrive as a support act. Without taking the spotlight too much, they still managed to make the stage theirs while being humble enough to frequently mention how excited they were to be supporting Bedouin Soundclash. With a flawless sound and a perfect stage presence, The Skints are the best ?new? live band around. [4/5]

After a short break and a trip to the bar, BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH took to the stage. Breaking into ?Mountain Top?, the lead single from ?Light The Horizon?, it was obvious they wouldn?t disappoint. Though musically they were a little sloppy at first, there was so much energy coming off the stage it more than made up for it. This didn?t last long anyway ? a few songs in and the whole band were focused, and impossibly their absolute passion seemed to increase. Arguably the best thing to see in a live band is their joy to be performing, and Bedouin had this in spades. ?Walls Fall Down? was simply transcendent, and the more dub sounding songs including ?Living In Jungles? inspired constant motion from the crowd. The setlist was varied and interesting, mixed up with a drum solo and a fantastic cover of ?Stand By Me? which blended perfectly into the classic ?When The Night Feels My Song?, an obvious crowd pleaser. Songs like ?Money Worries? that sound mellow and relaxing on record were transformed into anthems live. Finishing with a reggae mash up for ?all the rude boys out there? of Desmond Dekker, Toots & The Maytals and Sam Cooke, Bedouin Soundclash left the stage to rapturous applause. Musically this was a gig that was always going to put people in a good mood, with its uplifting mix of reggae, ska and dub beats; what was impressive about both bands was the enthusiasm displayed on stage, and this is what made a 300 capacity venue the scene of a truly phenomenal night. [4.5/5]

JOSIE MARTIN

First to hit the stage are Finland’s Disco Ensemble, and instantly fail to make an impact on what is probably the worst turnout for a band at the Carling Academy that I’ve ever seen. Audience numbers have barely reached three figures, yet Miikka Koivisto leads his fourpiece through an energetic performance of much of their sophomore album ‘First Aid Kit’. It’s endearing to see a band put so much effort into a performance that unimpresses almost the entire crowd, yet at the same time it saddens me to see so much talent wasted on an audience who aren’t interested. The Fins manages to bust out CD-perfect renditions of ‘We Might Fall Apart’, ‘Black Euro’ and new track ‘This is not a party’, before name-checking half of Scandinavia and heading offstage.

Second band to hit the stage, and the first to really get the party started come in the form of Danko Jones. With a deliciously refreshing blend of old-school garage rock, Jones and his band make Brixton their own with a set full of egotistical, sexy, grimey and downright FUN songs. Between tracks ‘Invisible’ and ‘Dance’, the Mango Kid and his compadres win the crowd over with their rock and roll ethics, most notably when proclaiming half their tracks are inspired by oral sex. There just aren’t enough bands around like this anymore.

Bedouin Soundclash have always been a one-trick pony in my eyes. ‘Sounding a Mosaiic’ was a successful album commercially, but seemed to recycle the same ideas and at times came across as monotonous. Despite this, there is now an Academy full of Soundclash fans here to dance their arses off, and there are points during the set where you could close your eyes and imagine lying on a Caribbean Beach, with a Margarita in your hand. I must admit that they manage to create a truly unique sound from the standard three-piece setup, and songs such as ‘Shelter’ and ‘Shadow of a Man’ sound magnificent here tonight. Saving the best for last, they end on a double whammy of their commercial breakthrough ‘When the night feels my song’, along with a cover of ‘New Years Day’, which keep the crowd partying until the very last chord.

One thing’s for sure, and that is that Gogol Bordello are hands down the most absurd band doing the rounds at the moment. Since Radio 1 endorsed the frankly ridiculous ‘Start wearing purple’, this band of Eastern European circus rejects have been on a steady upward road to success. However, the novelty of their quirks seems to have worn off tonight, as translating their musical gimmicks into a live show seems to have failed miserably. While the majority of the audience seems to buy it, most likely because by this point there are very few sober people left, the loud outfits and ridiculous body movements failed to compensate for the fact that they produced a truly horrible sound on the stage this evening. Struggling to keep in time with each other, they stumbled through a set made up of one or two well known tracks, and a host of material that seemed to be unfamiliar to the crowd. That’s the problem with one-hit wonders – it’s all well having a successful single, but when no one bothers to buy your albums, your live show will fall flat on its arse.

Tonight was one of those nights that peaked too early. With Bedouin Soundclash being the clear favourite of all people present, they were the ones that went home feeling like they’d made a real impression on this London crowd. It’s a shame that only a few people had heard of Disco Ensemble and Danko Jones, as they both did their mothers proud. Gogol Bordello on the other hand, should put down their instruments and go back to the circus.

Andy R