You might have some prejudices about the NME Tour even before you see the line-up. The NME? Can their choice of bands really still be relevant? Won’t it be full of studenty teens? Do they have an ambulance on hand for twats who dance at the front for four hours? Well, yes, yes, yes… and no (the last one learned the hard way.) Please, cast your aspersions aside for now. The NME tour is a great way to get some sparkling new bands down you and see a killer headliner to boot.
Unfortunately, we’re still a long off way from headliners. To take the edge off, Circa Waves get the classic ‘brand new chancers’ slot and charm the crowd with some fast paced, good old-fashioned garage indie. They’re not treading new ground here, but sheer force of personality turns what could sound overdone into music that’s unapologetically fun, young and great to watch. They’re exactly the kind of burgeoning talent that this slot is reserved for, and with a debut album in the works this year, they’re one to keep an eye on.
Up after, Royal Blood. So much bravado joined this duo onto the stage, there just had to be a massive sound to back it up. Not to disappoint, huge sweeps of Zeppelin-inspired guitar teamed with mammoth drums delivered ear damage to the baying crowd. It was a show hard to keep your eyes off, and there was plenty of showmanship and confidence on stage, but it knocked a bit hollow as an overall performance. As he encouraged cheers with a bit of showboating, singer and guitarist Kerr certainly dominated the stage, but there’s only so much talking Royal Blood’s swagger can do without having to listen to the comparatively limp lyrics.
Temples are a completely different brand of hairspray. 70s sepia bathes the stage and sunny psychedelica rolls out over the Academy crowd after a bit of unfortunate feedback plagues the first couple of songs. Thankfully, this leads into the standout songs of the set (and arguably, album): ‘Move with the Season’ and ‘Shelter Song’.
At last, Interpol take to the stage, and automatically the atmosphere turns up ten notches. Without dismissing the other bands in the slightest, there was a sense of ‘oh, this is what we’ve been waiting for’. Seamless interchanges from Antics classics like ‘Evil’ and ‘Slow Hands’ over to songs from the stellar-sounding new album are filled with the same latent sexuality that ripples on record. This is still a powerfully relevant band that owned the headline spot masterfully. By the encore, Temples-loving freshers were jumping around with hardened Interpol fans, the force of an incredible headliner getting the better of everyone in the Academy.
Sammy Jones 