LIVE: Spotlight Kid, I Am Lono and Richard Warren

Richard Warren live at The Bodega - Photo by Stephanie Webb

It’s a bit like Notts musical chairs tonight with various band members having worked with each other before. Chris Moore of Spotlight Kid has previously played in Echoboy, Dave from I am Lono used to be in The Kull with Matt Holt who now plays bass for Spotlight Kid. Tedious links over then. It’s time for these bands to justify why the rest of the country should care right now.

Richard Warren, better known for his experimental pop with Echoboy, has a music CV some people dream about. He’s performed sessions for John Peel, played bass for Spiritualized and his last solo album was in NME’s best albums of the year in 2009. After the first guitar strum you can see why.

As he starts playing his guitar I feel like I should be in a whiskey bar in a Tarantino film. Quite fitting as a Jameson’s promotions guy walks round giving everyone a free shot.  He plays melancholy blues with sexy licks and slow and brooding guitar riffs, occasionally looking up at the crowd intently. Some may have called him ‘mad’ to turn down Noel Gallagher’s offer of joining Oasis in the ‘90s but clearly he has enough ideas and talent to manage on his own just fine.  His new solo record is out now so judge for yourself.

Matthew Cooper from I Am Lono live at The Bodega - Photo by Stephanie Webb

I Am Lono is a two-man act consisting of guitars and synths with their own particular style. It’s quite obvious they they've thought about their image even before setting foot on the stage before going anywhere near the stage.

Frontman Matthew Cooper plays simple electro-pop on a Korg N364 with confidence accompanying his distinctive vocals, whilst guitarist Dave Startin adds backing vocals, spending most of his time shuffling his feet from side to side. And that’s exactly what this music is about. It won’t make you take over the dance floor, but the Kraftwerk reminiscent sounds will make your hips sway from side to side. It’s dark electro with an almost gothic edge, which is refreshing even if it does sometimes lack catchy hooks.  It's still early days for them though, so it will be exciting to see what else they will offer in the next year. Keep your eyes peeled.

Rob McCleary from Spotlight Kid live at The Bodega - Photo by Stephanie Webb

If you haven’t seen Nottingham’s finest shoegaze band Spotlight Kid then now would be a good time. They’ve been working hard the past few months to finish their latest album Disaster Tourist and have been gaining National press and airplay on Radio One and 6 Music. Showing that they won’t forget their roots anytime soon, they kick off their tour tonight to a home crowd.

You can’t help but get lost in the huge sound of progressive guitars and ethereal vocals from Katty - which are dreamlike and hypnotic. But it’s not just about the music. All eyes are on guitarist/singer Rob McCleary, and as he stands on the drums, a flash light on the stage illuminates him and you can just see the smiles in the crowd. The band is smiling too, but after a triumphant start to their tour you can see why. If new track Haunting Me is anything to go by then their new album is going to be a banger.

Spotlight Kid, I Am Lono and Richard Warren played at The Bodega on Friday 14 October 2011.

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