Topman CTRL with Metronomy, London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen

March 25th, 2009

One of the trendier corners of East London plays host to the first ever Topman CTRL event. Acclaimed electro popsters Metronomy act as curators and their handpicked line-up ensure that the crowd, packed into The Hoxton Bar and Grill, are thoroughly entertained.

Parisian electro-synth four piece Koko Von Napoo open the evening. While their name doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, their music certainly lingers in the memory. The band overcome their early out-of-town nerves and visibly grew in confidence as the set progressed.

This is well crafted electro-pop, with an intelligently used palate of synth sounds. Think of a New Young Pony Club/Those Dancing Days hybrid with a colder, more considered delivery and you’re not far off the mark. Lead singer, Toupie, sings in a brittle style reminiscent of former Long Blonde, Kate Jackson and although the rhythm section strays a little at times, a decent run of gigs should soon iron out any creases. Perhaps still a killer single short, on tonight’s evidence Koko Von Napoo are a band well worth keeping an eye out for.

Irresistible singles, however, are certainly something Your Twenties are no strangers to. Fronted by Metronomy’s Gabriel Stebbing, the five-piece (although tonight only four) make sun drenched, guitar driven music to lose yourself in. Most of the allure stems from Stebbing’s relaxed, almost crooned vocals, one part Morrissey to one part Brian Wilson. Flowing melodic lines are elegantly accented with tight harmonies and a surprisingly good falsetto.

The songwriting is bulletproof in places and echoes the economy of Vampire Weekend and early Strokes with a nod to The Beatles never far below the surface. A relatively short set includes recently re-released single, ‘Caught Wheel’ and crowd favourite ‘Gold’ before closing with the extraordinarily catchy ‘Billionaires’. Their performance is endearing; Stebbing appears a little nervous and cringes as he fluffs a keyboard line, but rather than detracting from the set, as you’d imagine, it is refreshing to see a distinct lack of posturing.

Admittedly, this is not their best gig, more job like, with Metronomy’s Joseph Mount deputising on the drums. They are also missing a keyboard player since the last time I saw them, most noticeably absent during the chorus of ‘Caught Wheel’. It remains to be seen whether Stebbing can balance his two bands and devote the time required to get Your Twenties firmly in to the public domain. The songs certainly deserve it.

Following the crowd favourites was always going to be a hard task, but German six-piece, Kamerakino, took to the task with aplomb. One of the most individual bands in recent years, they create rousing, violin-led gypsy punk with disco bass lines. Lead singer Pico-B staggers around the stage, spitting his lyrics into the microphone and looking the crowd directly in the eyes. He’s an absorbing performer and seems to be the perfect frontman for the brilliant lunacy that surrounds him. The heavily pregnant bassist holds down a contagious groove, whilst the keyboard player seems content dancing as if no one’s looking almost throughout the duration of the set.

Kamerakino operate completely in their own world and that’s what makes them so charming. They’re not pandering to a record company or a particular audience, they’re simply making the music they want to make. It’s an attitude that has certainly won them fans, including Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy, who played bass on their debut ‘Paradiso’.

The thought of a corporate clothes shop sponsoring gigs may leave a slightly nasty taste in your mouth, but if the first event is anything to go by they could soon create a devoted following of their own. The success of the Topman CTRL events will depend almost entirely on the quality of the curators and their connections with upcoming bands sitting just below the radar.