Live

The Invasion Of..., Eric Ness

Rhian Daly 03/08/2010

“I needed a change”, laughs Gary Powell after his new band The Invasion Of... have finished ripping a hole through the plush Proud Galleries from the sheer volume of their set. A change from his other, more famous bands this certainly is - there's no sign of Dickensian knees-up romanticism on show here - and whilst TIO... aren't getting our hearts racing like they did back in 2002, if Powell had provided the rhythm to a diluted version of past glories the whole thing would just, well, suck.

Of course, the Libertine and former Dirty Pretty Thing is still sat behind his drumkit, still shirtless and sweaty, still competing for the title of Nicest Guy in Rock & Roll but there's a different cast in front of him, acting out a different story. These days, Gary is the main composer, giving an insight into the man's perhaps unexpected tastes and influences.

The start of the set sees us unimpressed, with the first song painfully confusing; a bombardment of noise and not a lot of focus. Thankfully, as each song passes so things improve but it's still hard to shake the memory of that opener and it's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. Throughout the half hour TIO... stand before us we're 'treated' to some kind of funk/nu metal hybrid with dashes of something approaching indie thrown in for good measure. Awful as that may sound, towards the end (particularly the final two songs of the set) it actually begins to work.

Brash, ludicrous and at times a total headfuck, The Invasion Of... are nothing if not unique. There's the lasting impression that given more time to hash out their ideas, find a little focus and iron out the creases they could be an interesting and exciting proposition. Until that moment though, it seems best to steer clear and give them some space.