Joy

>TRIANGULATION NORTH
LUXEMBOURG, THE VIOLETS + THE FUCKS
KINGS CROSS, WATER RATS THEATRE - 03.06.04

Day two and the Angular bandwagon's heading oop north to the majestic surroundings of The Water Rats Theatre.

Opening proceedings today are the charmingly monikered The Fucks. Now, when I first saw the name The Fucks, I was expecting a bunch of snotty nosed, semi-literate teenagers with greasy skin and ripped jeans shouting non-sensical sexndrugsnrocknroll slogans in an off-key caterwaul, whilst jumping up and down and assaulting their instruments with unrehearsed, atonal enthusiasm.

Fortunately for the wellbeing of our ears, what we actually get is a surprisingly charming, almost quaint

girl boy duo, who proceed to knock out a set of crumpled lo-fi casio indie, of the type that used to profligate across fanzine compilations in the mid nineties. It's a bright, breezy and refreshing set, which maybe goes on a couple of songs too long, but we'll forgive them that because they smile at us nicely inbetween songs.

Second billing goes to The Violets, featuring the Angular Recording

Corporation's very own Joe Daniels on guitar, along with Swear guitarist Andrew Moran on drums and lead singer Alexis.

Last time I saw The Violets, it was only their third gig, and they looked nervous beyond words; tonight

the improvement is astounding. Where Alex had once clung to the mic stand, she now prowls the stage with understated grace, switching between barely concealed menace and a sultry fragility as the songs demand. Where there were once moments where the singer, guitarist, drummer, no bassist set up looked questionable, the songs are now complete, and any suggestion of adding extra

instrumentation would merely serve to stifle and clog their raw emoting like a big mac to the arteries of a stroke victim.

And it's not just their confidence that has grown, a slew of new songs have been added to the set (including one so new that when Alexis anounces it, the band play the wrong track), which have relegated previous standout track 'Laxteen' to relative obscurity, its elegant minimalism overshadowed by its muscular peers. It's a captivating performance, and one that may yet see The Violets elevated from "That bloke from Angular's band" to leading lights of the New Cross movement.

Speaking of leading lights, tonight's headliners Luxembourg have been talked up as one of the bands most likely to follow Bloc Party and Art Brut's footsteps into mainstream acclaim, and it's not hard to see why. Their brand of

observational social commentary, delivered through the medium of soaring, keyboard led indie is steeped in the tradition of classic British bands like The Smiths and Pulp, and singer David Shah is a natural frontman, complete with Jarvis style gesticulations.

That's not to say that Luxembourg don't have a style of their own, far from it in fact. They've taken these influences and brought in a distinct lyrical style and some impressive keyboard dynamics, coupled with a raw guitar sound that I hadn't noticed in their recordings, which all add up to the kind of tunes that you could imagine ramming the dancefloors of indie discos up and down the country.

For more pictures from tonight's gig, click here

Click here for a review of Luxembourg's 'Success Is Never Enough' and here to read about The Violet's gig at Brixton Windmill.

Luxembourg's official site is at www.luxembourgweb.co.uk

The Violets are at www.theviolets.co.uk

Pay the Angular Recording Corporation a visit at www.angularrecords.co.uk