Thursday 25^th September 2008 @ Thekla, Bristol

Cajun Dance Party got tongues wagging about a year ago after the release of their first single, the spectacular The Next Untouchable; 5 minutes of frenzied indie-pop with a touch of magic that instantly labelled the band as “ones to watch”. And watch we did. We watched intently and listened to what little they threw our way until April 2008 when their debut album, The Colourful Life, hit the shelves. An accomplished, decent album but not the sparkler we’d been waiting and hoping for and it seemed that maybe the party was petering out.

Before we condemn Cajun Dance Party aside as ‘just another indie band’ though, best sample the live show; and so that brings us up to an early evening on a foggy Thursday during UWE Freshers’ Week and it’s surprising busy aboard the Old Profanity. It seems Cajun Dance Party have far more of a following that I realised or perhaps, like me, they all just want the chance to see them live. This is after all their first gig in Bristol.

The curfew is a strict one on club nights at Thekla and so the band waste no time in bursting straight into the sort of chirpy indie that we’ve all come to see. Cajun Dance Party might have slipped out of our consciouses over recent months but they quickly remind everyone they have an arsenal of fantastic songs; we speed through brilliant tracks Colourful Life, The Race, Amalyse, Time Falls and The Hill, The View & The Lights without pausing for breath.

Watching the band, it’s striking just how young they are; the drummer has barely hit puberty and the fresh faced bassist seems constantly preoccupied, his mind sweating over something (GCSE results no doubt). And while we’re examining the line-up, could lead guitarist Robbie Stern want to be Albert Hammond Jr. any more? All this is immaterial though as lead singer Daniel Blumberg rallies the troops and does what all good front men do in making a real show of it. He passionately throws himself around, arms and legs flailing, as he squeezes emotion out of every lyric. It’s sometimes a bit over the top from Blumberg but keeps it interesting nonetheless. The crowd soon respond to the musical and onstage euphoria and the party reaches its climax on the final song, standout track The Next Untouchable, when a ten year old boy is hoisted up onto the crowd and is thrown around above everyone’s heads for the duration of the song. He looks so excited I thought his head might explode. Still life in the old Cajun Dance Party yet then.

www.cajundanceparty.com

Matthew Whittle www.matthewwhittleblog.blogspot.com