Different gigs have different vibes. Archie Bronson Outfit may not be about to cross over to the mainstream just yet, but there were clearly people here at ULU who were really, really excited to see them, and really, really wanted to have a good time. Gangs of guys were just waiting, waiting, for the signal that it was time to leap up and down and start moshing. They would alas, be largely disappointed.
It was clear within a few songs that things just weren’t taking off. There were yells from the crowd ‘turn it up’, ‘you’re really quiet’. I personally didn’t feel that that was the problem, they were pretty loud when they came on (maybe I just don’t go to enough rock gigs), but what they really lacked is confidence. Lead singer Sam Windett doesn’t seem comfortable on stage, and is decidedly stiff. The band make more effort to get into the swing of things, but Windett just doesn’t look like he wants to be there.
Maybe it was the crowd that put them off. Although they were obviously enthusiastic, they wanted to hear material from Derdang Derdang. Although new album Coconut has received good reviews, it’s a different kind of album, more sonic effects and reverberation, less hook driven. It was over half an hour before an old track showed up, neither them nor the audience seemed at ease with the new material.
A few chords into Cherry Lips and things start to finally get moving. The crowd are enjoying it, even the band seem more comfortable. We get a few more Derdang tunes, Dart For My Sweetheart also finds much favour, but this is only an hour long set, half of it already expired, and after 45 minutes they go off for an encore. And then they come back on really quickly because there’s really not much time to squeeze a couple more songs in before they have to get off.
By the end, no one seemed to be entirely satisfied. For a band three albums in, you might’ve expected a more self assured gig. Sound problems or not, their performance and choice of material left quite a bit to be desired.
Rating: 
Archie Bronson Outfit – Shark’s Tooth (mp3)
Buy Coconut from Amazon
Photo: Mike Brown @ End of the Road, UK, 09/09
