The Strokes + Shout Out Louds + The Ridgeway - Guildhall, Portsmouth. 04/02/06

All credit to The Strokes for having a local band on first each night, not sure how or why the bands have been picked but I'm sure a few strings have been pulled to get The Ridgeway up there on stage and as is usual with the big gigs, they put the first band on almost as soon as the doors have been opened so people are still waiting to get in or trying to buy a pint so only a few get to see The Ridgeway in action. They have been on the local seen a fair while and last time I saw them they left me cold, they have updated their sound a bit now and the odd song has the echo of a Franz groove and a Bloc beat which is no bad thing mixed up with their fine vocal melodies. However, while they are an extremely competent band you can't help but think there are more exciting bands around; polished and well crafted songs they may be but they do not oooze rock n roll. They get a nice reception from those that have managed to get in early and I'm sure they will be well pleased with their performance.

Sweden's Shout Out Louds are a geeky looking bunch, resembling a bunch of misfits who were probably picked on at school, they sound like Robert Smith (The Cure) fronting a band playing pop versions of bands like Dinosaur Jnr and Pavement. I thoroughly enjoy them as they whip through a fascinating set of clap along tunes, distorted pop gems twisted into new shapes as shiny as the keyboard players party dress.

This gig sold out instantly and the place is packed with a mixture of older indie heads and young 'scene' types with the right clothes and hair all eager for their first glimpse of The Strokes who are greeted like gods as they launch into Modern Age and Juice Box. Now, I've never been a massive fan, I have the first couple of singles then lost interest and I get the same feeling tonight as I watch the pit in the middle going mad to everything while I find moments of pure joy (Last Nite and New York City Cops) and moments of mind numbing blandness. While they may have some outstanding tracks you also get the feeling they have a lot of filler material that just floats by in a wave of usual Strokes; they sound perfect on stage apart from the mumblings of a front man who looks like he can be barely bothered to reach for the mic but hey, it's all part of the image ands I'm sure the fans love it but to be honest, the band look bored beyond belief despite playing note perfect versions of 12:51, Hard To Explain, Reptilia and many more. They had a decent light show and projections to go with it which is probably just as well because without those distractions it would be one boring gig to watch. But like I say, I'm not a massive fan, I like the casual listen now and then and I'm sure if you asked 99% of the others here they would say it was fantastic but I'm not covinced and I like a little more substance with my style. A massive success for The Strokes then and a partially satisfying gig for me but as a wise man said to me afterwards, they are kind of like The Ramones in that much of their material sounds similar but if you like one song then you are likely to enjoy all of them, and I think he has hit the nail on the head there and he really enjoyed it!