Saturday 25^th October 2008 @ Louisiana, Bristol
With Support From: Farthing Wood

I arrive half way through support act Farthing Wood’s set; the songs seem simple yet aurally pleasing. They have a good rapport with the crowd, probably because it mainly consists of their parents and girlfriends, but on the basis of their show, their new EP, Inland Observations, is definitely worth a listen.

I thought it would get busier for the headliners tonight and maybe even sell out but to my disbelief, most people decided they had better things to do than jig about to this punked up version of The Maccabees. I first saw Cheeky Cheeky & The Nosebleeds playing at the Hog Roast stage at Glastonbury; they caught my eye because of their perfect pop tunes, dance moves and stage presence. When I saw they were playing the Louisiana, I thought by the time the gig came round they would be signed, but to my complete shock they still aren’t! Must be the credit crunch…

The Suffolk based five-piece take to the stage tonight, overusing a smoke machine; perhaps it’s to help hide the sparse crowd in this small venue? As always with the Louisiana, you never know what sort of crowd you will have, this is summed up by one exceptionally drunk lady staggering around the front and heckling the band; however, the sound system at the Louisiana always impresses and it does justice to Cheekys’ giant stage presence.

The band gives it every last piece of energy until their chequered shirts and cardys are drenched with sweat. The two vocalists combine so fluently it seems something’s unleashed in them as singer Rory jives, stamps and sweats his way through. The set is full to the brim with energetic sing-along songs and catchy repetitive choruses like; “I have grown quite fond of you,” and their soon to be released single You Let Me Go.

The end song and triumphant finale Slow Kids (Cheeky Cheeky & The Nosebleeds’ first single release via Rough Trade) makes the real punk history kick in with sharp guitar riffs and cutting vocals that make me want to stomp around in a circle with my fist raised high. This band may not be completely original but they are using lots of different popular elements from different genres to make their own sound. It’s hard to think of any musical comparisons so my advice is, go online and have a listen then maybe the next time they play Bristol the venue will be packed.

www.myspace.com/cheekynosebleeds

Lucy Jones