Young Knives review by Ryan Beardsley
‘It’s not every day a Mercury nominated band play at your local, but then again this is London and the hallowed George Tavern isn’t exactly your every day boozer.
For those with short memories, the Young Knives were part of the mid 2000s indie eruption, when Glastonbury was still for people who liked music and there was an exciting new band on the airwaves every time you flicked on the radio. Nearly 20 years and 5 records later, some 200 patrons crammed into the George for a real treat.
Young Knives founding members Harry Dartnall and Thomas Bonsu-Dartnall are clearly delighted to be back on stage, joshing with the up close and personal crowd for a show that feels akin to having your mates round for a jam, and all the better for it.
Kicking off with debut album opener Part Timer, Dartnall’s unique voice that set them apart from their contemporaries way back when sounds as potent as ever. Terra Firma receives a riotous singalong (Fake Rabbit, Real Snake!) though I’ve still got no idea what they’re on about…
We get a handful of new tracks and it’s actually pretty interesting stuff, a darker, heavier feel, Dissolution and Ugly House are reminscient of Royal Blood with a harder rock sound, an intriguing new direction.
But predictably it’s the Mercury nominated Voices of Animals and Men that gets the biggest reaction, Weekends and Bleak Days followed up with She’s Attracted To, prompting a mini mosh pit to bring back memories of the indie disco for all of us, Dartnall quips that he stll gets 50p whenever it’s played on Aussie radio.
So what next for the Knives? They definitely don’t deserve to be lumped in with the dreaded ‘landfill indie’ tag, they were always more original and stood out from the crowd, I’m sure they would go down a treat on the festival circuit so let’s hope we see more of them.
Long live The George and long live the Young Knives.’
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