THE TUCKSHOP @ L2, TRURO (5TH FEBRUARY)

THE COURTEENERS, DISPLACEMENTS & THE REELS

Review by Joseph Maguire

On a dreary Tuesday night in Truro the last thing you’d normally expect to find is 250 sweaty bodies pogoing to the one of the hottest bands of the moment. This sort of event is normally what we (live music lovers that is) have to travel some distance to witness, normally a small mission up the A30 to Exeter.

It was then a total breath of fresh air to see L2 in Truro transformed from its usual guise of sweaty commercial nightclub into the coolest indie emporium to be seen this side of the Tamar complete with a real tuck shop selling a vast array of retro sweets and giving away free CD’s.

As the venue doors opened local band The Reels took to the stage to be the first to play SW1 Productions, re-launched, ‘Tuck Shop’, an Indie club night dedicated to bringing the hottest new ‘buzz’ bands to play our little city.

The Reels played a spine tingling set, they really are Cornwall’s dark horse, their potential as our most promising export was proven here, and that was even with a drummer who had had his appendix out a mere five days before! With anthems in waiting like ‘Me and the Kid’ and ‘Mondayze’ it really can’t be long before we see The Reels gaining the national success they surely deserve.

Next up were Leicester’s The Displacements. Hailing from the same little village that gave us Kasabian, The Displacements played a crowd pleasing set of instantly memorable indie pop with an irresistible two step undertone ideal for those donning their dancing shoes. By the end of March we may have to claim them as our own with another two performances due in the county between now and then, one as main support to Indie heavyweights The Twang at The Stannary in Falmouth on 17^th Feb and another later in March at Club Cuckoo, Falmouth.

Resident Tuck Shop DJ’s the Earls of Suave kept things moving in between bands with their usual ‘latest and greatest’ policy on the playlist front getting people moving nicely in time for the headline act.

Taking to the stage in front of the most enthusiastic crowd I have seen for some time The Courteeners ripped straight into ‘Acrylic’ and the audience where instantly in fine voice singing along every word to a somewhat overwhelmed looking band!

It was immediately evident how lucky we were to have this band in Truro. I must say I had been expecting yet another indie guitar band thinking they were The Libertines but The Courteeners have something a little more, they are by no means innovative but somehow seem go the extra mile and are a great live band.

Front man Liam Fray has the Northern swagger and rock star qualities of another certain Liam but with a charm and charisma that the Gallagher could only dream of. This band have been lumbered with ‘the next big thing’ label for so long that many would find it a burden but it seems that The Courteeners fully embrace this idea and definitely have the potential to exceed this clichéd mantle.

Set closer ‘What took you so long’ (predicted by NME as a future number one) closed the first Tuck Shop at L2 in spectacular style with the crowd firmly eating out of their hands and surging towards the stage, to the obvious dismay of the bouncers, it really was a good sight to be seen.

(Photos by Lee Searle)

www.myspace.com/thereelsband