CityLife

Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2009: Glasvegas + Friendly Fires + White Lies + Florence and the Machine

MEGASTARS IN WAITING: Glasvegas

LIKE sat-nav for new talent, the NME Awards Tour is designed to find the hottest breakthrough acts the UK has to offer.

For over a decade, a selection of the finest up-and-coming bands (and The View) have used the event to raise havoc, and their profiles, around the country.

Previous tours have seen sets from then-unknowns such as Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand and The Ting Tings, so those on tonight’s bill will be hoping for their own sprinkling of the NME’s magical fame dust.

Hardly requiring further promotion are Glasvegas, who, not long after slaying the city with their windswept blub rock, return to underline why they are destined for great things.

Stadium-grade tunes comprising seasick guitars, pounding drums and lyrics of heartbreaking eloquence are done ample justice by the band themselves, looking, in their shades and all-black attire, every inch the megastars that 2009 will see them become.

But first, it’s Brits Critics’ Choice Florence and the Machine.

In these belt-tightening times, many people are taking on second jobs to pay the bills. This may explain why Florence spends a large amount of tonight’s show working the merchandise stall.

She needn’t scrimp for too much longer, though. Songs the calibre of ‘Dog Days Are Over’ will soon be buying her everything she could wish for.

Her all-too-brief set slides by on a harp string, with moments like the band losing time on ‘Kiss With A Fist’ merely adding to the boho charm.

Next up are Ealing post-rockers White Lies. Watching them is like wading through custard to find diamonds.

Loping, doom-filled verses that could depress even the most in-denial of children’s entertainers give way to gigantic choruses that bathe the audience in a warm, spine-tingling glow.

Overwhelming in a different way are Friendly Fires, the most danceworthy of tonight’s acts. Utilising saxophones, maracas and a six-piece drum troupe (who sound not unlike that noisy bunch from the bottom of Market Street), the band bring life to the show with their thumping samba indie.

Their closing rendition of ‘Paris’, which morphs into a six-minute percussive wig-out, typifies the sense of fun and rhythm at the heart of their set. As does lead singer Ed Macfarlane’s ‘interesting’ dancing.

While they and Glasvegas will grab the headlines, it was tonight’s opening act who stole the bill.

About as bonkers as any good pop star should be and with a voice that could win the next four X Factors combined, rest assured you’ll hear a lot more from Florence Welch this year.

The ShockWaves NME Tour is at Academy 1 again tonight (Feb 7). £15.26, includes a charitable donation to Shelter and War Child. Please note: this show has an age restriction of 14-years-old and above.