‘Time to put your prejudice aside ’
I’m glad I slept on it before putting fingers to keyboard to
write this review. It gave me time to put Saturday night’s show into perspective
and try to put into words why The Lottery Winners personify the definition of dichotomy
for an industry paralyzed by the thought of risk, or perhaps just plain scared
of actually having a really good time.
You see TLW are a pop band with a capital P. They may have an indie underbelly but make no
mistake this is pop music; and quite possibly the best pop music to come out of
Manchester since Nigel Martin Smith cobbled together you know who in 1990.
(Yes I know they’re from Leigh in
Lancashire, but let’s give our American readers a fighting chance)
The trouble is that pop bands aren’t supposed to look like
The Lottery Winners, not as far as the British Phonographic Industry is concerned
anyway. Whilst for too cool for school indie
fashionistas they represent what is likely to be a guilty pleasure, but oh what
a pleasure. To all of the above I say it’s time to put aside your prejudice and
give The Lottery Winners the great big hug they crave.
Tonight the band is in their element, surrounded by friends
and converts as they deliver one sing-along after another, with frontman Thom
Rylance conducting proceedings in his usual affable manner. As Rylance pulls
the strings like a master puppeteer it would be easy to overlook Rob Lally’s
deft guitar lines or Katie Lloyd’s considered melodic bass, the pair also
providing faultless harmonies and counter melodies that cheer the soul. Imagine
Berry Gordy had shaped The Smiths with The Housemartins on backing vocals and
Prefab Sprout sticking their oar in at every opportunity and you’ll just about
get the picture. Behind it all sit Joe Singleton’s drums, sharply executed and
to my absolute delight containing no unnecessary clutter, just as it should be.
Current single ‘Learn To Sleep’, the wonderful, ‘Curtains’,
‘Artificial Flowers’ and ‘Something To Leave The House For’ are all received with
open arms before the band are joined by ex Inspiral’s frontman Tom Hingley for
a cameo performance of ‘This Is How it Feels’.
Rylance’s between song banter is both witty and self-deprecating in equal measure. Yet,if I could change anything (and I'm still not sure I want to) it would be to put the limiters on, if only so the band could squeeze a couple more gems into their set. After all, there are songs that fail to get an airing tonight that many a band would kill for. That said,
I expect I’m in the minority here and both gut and head tell me it’s never
going to happen so let’s move on.
As the a cappella strains of the timeless ‘Emerald City’
fade to the applause it deserves, the band quite rightly finish with the
exceptional ‘Pillows’ (surely a single in waiting?) and we’re done.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; The Lottery Winners
have songs stuffed with more hooks than a fisherman’s jacket. All they need is
for a major label to grow some balls and put their hand in their pocket, the rest as they say will be...... Just
imagine this year’s Brit Awards with The Lottery Winners in place of Tom (dull
as S**te) Odell………Worth tuning in for I'd wager.
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