The Enemy + The Half Rabbits

The Dykeenies were supposed to support The Enemy as well and were actually the band I really wanted to see, so automatic disappointment right from the start. However their absence meant that The Half Rabbits must have had a longer set and boy did they take advantage. I've seen them a couple of times before and they were nothing compared to the set they did tonight. It was a more mature performance and a seemingly more balanced set.
With such a surprising performance from them, plus the crowd loving it, The Enemy were going to have to work hard to better them. Luckily they stepped up to the plate. The lead singer played and sang like he only had 6 months to live, getting the crowd involved and active. This music was grassroots indie rock, no clever ballads, over-complicated guitar rifts, or new-rave hocum, they were keeping it simple... and all the better. Storming through fast-paced, head nodding, foot tapping songs, and only stopping to shout to the crowd to 'dance they're arses off, because why the fuck not'. Reminding me of an early Oasis, or more recently Dogs and Sunshine Underground, The Enemy have dragged the 90's back into the 21st Century and if these guys haven't made it within the next 12 months lots of music labels need to fire some employees.