Live

The Hoosiers, Envy & Other Sins, The Script

Paul Cook 10/03/2008

Opening to an unexpectedly excitable crowd at the massive Cambridge Corn Exchange, Envy and Other Sins started energetically, rousing the audience and generally putting on a solid show. The T-Mobile Act Unsigned winners fought off stiff competition in the show with their blend of pop prowess and indie riffs. In all honesty it was a strange mix of music - Envy and Other Sins' rock clashed slightly with The Script's (the new Irish indie-pop band on the scene) slow, loved-up pop songs which in turn didn't seem to compliment the Hoosier's frustratingly boring pop style. Envy do have some way to go in terms of their music and once that's there the gigs can only get better, as the talent is obvious for anyone to see, both as musicians and performers.

The Script followed and had a very warm reception. They proceeded in showing bands like Scouting for Girls how not to do the whole boy-band come indie-pop thing. With an abundance of love songs on offer it did get very tiresome but that is what this band is good at, and their music speaks volumes to its audience. With a bit more coverage The Script will likely surpass the distinctly average Scouting for Girls, whom, having seen them at Norwich UEA last year, are not a band anyone should have to endure live. The night was on a high after the two supports and unfortunately was about to go downhill rather quickly.

The main act of the night entered then and the Corn Exchange absolutely erupted. Holding giant model letters spelling “H-O-O-S-I-E-R-S” up to the crowd, the band then proceeded to play the title track from the album Trick to Life. This was followed by what is arguably their better single so far released Worst Case Scenario with its poppy, catchy riff and sing-a-long lyrics. With Goodbye Mr. A out of the way half way through, which was a let down in terms of how the band milked the ending, drawing it out to what felt like a 10 minute track. The show then got progressively worse, and without having heard the band's smash hit album before, I was hugely disappointed to find that bar the aforementioned songs, the rest is all filler. Slow, poppy love songs, lacking meaning and any sort of instrumental talent. All in all, go to a Hoosiers gig and your in-store for one giant commercial selling the Hoosiers as a must-have product. Much of the show was band-to-fan suck-up and typically artificial stage-presence. The band's cocky, sarcastic announcement of them being award winners (of the NME worst band award) was irony at its best, because from that point on, much of the crowd realised exactly why.