Friday, 24 December 2004
If this were a new band, the NME and the inkies would be falling over themselves to tell you how brilliant this lot were....They’d plaster them on front pages as the new sound, a no-nonsense combination of five instruments in a way that you’ve never heard before.
Problem is, they're not a new band. Nobody sounds like the Neds : nobody ever will. They’re the indie Ramones - except everyone pretends they love The Ramones (but when was the last time you actually listened to a Ramones album instead of seeing people wearing the t-shirt?)
The Neds were never cool : even at the time they were the people’s choice, but the critics hated them. Bad hair, bad shorts, bad memories. And this time round you get all of their Indie Goodness… but with none of the baggage.
And what remains now, but the music?
In many respects their nostalgic 80 minute set is nothing more and nothing less than a "I Love 1991" indie special played out with a moshpit : you’re never more than a minute away from an old Indie Disco classic : "Happy", "Kill Your Television", "Until You Find Out", "Trust", "Not Sleeping Around", "Intact", "Grey Cell Green", "Aim", all sound better and brighter than ever. There’s a clutch of old album faves (the rarely played "Traffic", "Two and Two Made Five", et al.), the odd b-sides, and the odd new song, all greeted with open arms, rampant jumping around by Indie Middle Managers Who Are Old Enough To Know Better, and young enough not to really care.
And the new stuff is brilliant : taking the classic sound of the Neds and bringing it ineffably into the common day - "Hibernation" sounds like the best Neds single you’ve never heard, and "Ambush" is some gargantuan hardcore thrash. Trust me, if this lot weren’t called Neds Atomic Dustbin, and our memories didn’t extend to big shorts and bad hair, American indie heroes would idolise them and they’d hit the front covers in a second. They’re that good.
Forget the bullshit, the cool lists, the naff memories and the dogma. Open your ears and open your mind. They’re the indie Ramones : but better. Much better.
The Neds once told us, Nothing is cool. Well, The Neds will never be cool. But it doesn't matter, because when a band is this good, who needs cool?
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BAZRAT
Written by Guest on 2005-04-07 08:06:16
I went to the gig at king tut's in Glasgow in December and they were brilliant! small venue and they just rocked. We also met the band in the bar afterwards and they were thoroughly nice people. Well done I say!!!  |
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