Another Point Of View: Electric Six (Live Review By Paul)

Electric Six- The Globe, Cardiff

It's been three years since the Six has graced our fair city so it was unsurprising that that this gig sold out way before the night. A cold night outside but fully heated indoors with the temperature rising as the crazies got into their stride as the evening progressed. Opening act Nightmares From The Discotheque (7) got the evening off to a splendid start, the Cardiffians humour on the same wavelength as many of their countrymen. Front duo Rick Schaple and Canz Rickman got everyone chortling to their song about Kanye West You've Been Kanye’d and their ode to the unsung nightclub heroes, the toilet lurking aftershave sprayers with No Spray No Lay. These guys have been pushing it hard for several months and were a very good choice of opening act. Closing with the close to the knuckle A Yewtree Christmas Carol, Nightmares are well worth seeing for their typically local brand of humour.

Next up were We Are Z (7), a collection of French and London based multi instrumentalists led by the charismatic Gabriel Cazes. The band arrived on stage sporting an image which appeared to have been generated from the end of year lost property box in a primary school. Their brand of indie rock pop went down a storm with the crowd getting more involved as the set progressed. A range of observational songs from their debut release Animal proved to be just what the audience wanted.

Two years since I last saw Dick Valentine’s crew but Electric Six (9) remain the consummate live band. Although the  line up changes quite regularly, and with the White Wolf absent due to impending fatherhood (thanks to Dave Sugarman for the info), the drive, humour and infectious grooves remain constant. With albums released annually their set list becomes more varied every year. New tracks from their latest album Fresh Blood for Tired Vampyres were interspersed between classics such as Gay Bar and Down at Macdonnalzzz  as well as a couple from last year's Bitch Don't Let Me Die including opener Electric Six (a song about Electric Six!) and When Cowboys File For Divorce.

In between songs Dick Valentine is witty and dry, his deadpan delivery so funny. Encouraging the crowd to head to Swansea for the finale to their tour the following night “it's all free, free entry …”. Of course, it's sometimes easy to miss the quality of the music during all the fun but this band are just the business. A raucous High Voltage!  was received with joy and the unexpected but very welcome Synthesiser from debut release Fire got the place moving. Hit with Improper Dancing and closing track I Buy the Drugs the place went nuts. Another really enjoyable evening from one of the best bands around.