Live

La Roux, Heartbreak, Magistrates, The Chapman Family

Paul Cook 18/05/2009

And so the endless list of 'new talent' continues to unroll at NME HQ in 2009 with the retro-styled, electro-pop beacon of La Roux flashing bright on their radar. Formerly the New Noise Tour and before that the New Music Tour the ever-changing showcase of up-and-coming musical talent this year, according to the New Musical Express, comprises aforementioned La Roux, 80's electro outfit Heartbreak, indie rockers Magistrates and post-punk band The Chapman Family.

The two openers Magistrates and The Chapman Family were a promising but unremarkable double whammy of tour filler. Simple riffs forgettable lyrics simply don't help bands third and fourth on an NME roster. Both bands clearly have some talent with their instruments, the two drummers in particular, but song writing requires vast improvement. Still, on the upside, they weren't quite as hard on the hearing as the penultimate act of the evening, Heartbreak, whose electro, 80's revivalist pop trash was at best a tolerable combination of bassline, bass drum and synth.

Onto the headline act, who since releasing In for the Kill back in mid-March has experienced typical NME rumour mill hype press across the board. With a similarly styled 80's retro sound combined with heavy pop dance basslines and a powerful, soulful voice, the duo (Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid) make for an enjoyable, light-hearted live show. Forthcoming album tracks Tigerlily and Quicksand although unmistakably similar to In for the Kill were enjoyably energetic nonetheless with Elly's vocals the stand out feature of the band's material. The self-titled debut album is released on the 29th June.