With Support From: On Off Switch

Tonight at The Lanes it’s a juicy line-up of Bristol bands. First up are On Off Switch whose funky-punky choruses really hold their set together. They’ve got instantly recognisable hooks, lovely collaboration between the rhythm section and some really well thought out breaks and it’s what makes these guys unique; unfortunately, what comes between their driving choruses is laziness branded as multi-instrumental ability.

While the name On Off Switch suggests a sound that revolves heavily around digital effects and electronic equipment, what we’re actually presented with is a band that tries just a little too hard to be technical wizards. We are halfway through their second appearance at The Lanes and I can't help but feel they should turn the switch off on their silly effects pedals, put down the keyboard and concentrate on keeping the kicking rhythm of the chorus during the verses, rather than have guitarist and lead singer switch places on a keyboard that adds nothing to the sound. Why sacrifice the sometimes brilliant sound of the chorus by picking up a tambourine and shaking it a little or turning around and playing a poorly thought out 3 note riff on a keyboard that, otherwise, is totally defunct?

Second on it’s Dinosaur Outfit who give us a masterclass in how to make a mash-up of The Cure, The Strokes and Maximo Park songs; it is like listening to a playlist of all your favourite indie hits from the past ten years, played in the style of The Maccabees. While the individual musicians, particularly the drummer, show real talent, it seems as though this is a band unsure of direction but unified by their love of 12:51 (the catchy, futuristic 2003 hit by The Strokes) – so much so in fact, that if I squint really hard I can almost see them clad in LED smothered costumes; probably just the glare of UV from the bowling lanes adjacent however. Rarely do you come away from a gig humming tunes written years ago by masters of the indie genre but Dinosaur Outfit manage to get it spot on.

www.myspace.com/dinosauroutfit