The Virgins with Amazing Baby and Panama Kings: Live
Words by Sara Irvine
Belfast quartet Panama Kings have been creating a sizeable buzz about their own unique brand of stomping, bolshy Indie rock for quite some time and have certainly been elevated as the darlings of the flourishing Northern Irish scene. They bring all their best with them for their meaty performance hashing out the tracks which will undoubtedly compile a romper stomper of a debut album for the lads. Lead singer Niall Kennedy wails with fury as his band mates strum and drum with vigour to captivate the eager audience. New track “Toe the Party Line” went down well with the crowd while old favourite “Children” is a perfect close to a well-played set.
Amazing Baby hailing from Brooklyn did not receive quite the same love or interest from an unfamiliar audience but they sure put up a good fight to establish themselves. With tonight being the last date of a lengthy tour with The Virgins it’s fair to say that their lack of energy was somewhat justified or maybe we just mistook jetlag for cool nonchalance. Either way, the four piece were sounding promising if not a little lank. Maybe best to catch them another day after they’ve had a nap and a berocca.
The long-awaited faces of The Virgins finally grace the stage and begin their short but quality set. They begin by ripping the guts out of their debut self-titled album by playing a quirky rendition of “Radio Christiane” and “Teen Lovers”. Donald Cumming is a joy to behold onstage as he twists and shimmies around the stage to their poppy, hipster hits. The album really comes across as a selection of singles which translates easily to their live performance, making every track a sing-a-long. “Rich Girls” and “One Week of Danger” are the highlights of the night as well as a cover of Yes which adds a taint of variety to their set. If they keep playing shows like this they won’t be virgins for long…
Posted Fri, May 01, 2009