Review: MTV2 Spanking New Music Tour Part 1

May 7 2008 by Michael Took, Western Mail

NOW in its third year, the MTV2 Spanking New Music Tour has finally made its way into the Welsh capital. It’s a little different from other new music tours, with established bands levelled against others still in their live infancy.

Proceedings kicked off with Irish R&B outfit The Script. The band’s slick yet uninspiring grooves slotted comfortably into the musical dynamic that’s served Timbaland so well, but fundamentally there was nothing new going on here.

Next up were indie kids One Night Only. The Helmsley five-piece raced through tracks from their debut album Started A Fire – a record pumped full of synth-driven anthems with one eye clearly focused on the Top 40. Tracks such as Just For Tonight and It’s About Time are smothered in musical euphoria but the band’s formulaic approach to song writing is for the most part incredibly dull.

The mood thankfully lifted with the introduction of The Zutons. They wasted no time in rolling out the hits with the eerie Zuton Fever, all blaring sax and wiry guitar lines, underpinned by Dave McCabe’s gruff regional vocals. Forthcoming album You Can Do Anything promises to be a more personal affair than previous records with McCabe describing his fling with a married woman on the funky Dirty Rat.

The biggest wail of the night was saved inevitably for the ubiquitous Valerie – a brilliant slice of bubblegum pop that sounded much fresher in it’s original context with surf-drenched guitars and incessant vocal harmonies. The gangland affair of Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love had McCabe and saxophonist Abi Harding exchanging vocals whilst the rest of the band brewed up a meticulous groove immersed in Latin American rhythms. The brooding You Will You Won’t was pulled out as an encore. A whispered intro gave way to a huge crescendo with McCabe’s screeching vocals tilting towards breaking point.

The triumphant set ended with new single Always Right Behind You – a no-nonsense indie-pop jam. Ironically, this leg of the MTV2 Spanking New Tour could’ve been a huge letdown if more established heads hadn’t been recruited.

Highlights from the MTV2 Spanking New Music Tour will be on MTV2 from May 30