This will likely be less of a review and more generally excited babble about how much I enjoyed this gig.  Because I did.  It seems that ! can’t disappoint me live.  And this was my fifth time seeing them.  First time was the epic show that had me, a friend and 150 A&R types at their first London gig in 2006.  Second was at the Spitz in 2007 which also had the mighty Sky Larkin and Nosferatu D2 playing their final show.  After that it was the utterly insane Reading 2008 performance, and then their Electric Ballroom effort later that year.

First up were the brilliant though, who I was also seeing for the fifth time.  Walked into the place a few minutes into their set and they were already tearing up the room.  They ran through a good chunk of Grace and the Bigger Picture, as well as, if I’m not mistaken, at least one new one.  The inevitable highlight though was Gareth Campesinos! joining the band onstage to take lead vocals for a storming rendition of Criminals.

Next up was Frankie & the Heartstrings.  They were alright.  I suspect I would have enjoyed them a bit more if I’d actually known any of their songs beforehand.

It was clearly Los Campesinos! that everyone was there to see though, and that carried over to an incredibly boisterous performance.  The band opted for a greatest hits package, including songs that hardly ever get a live airing, which made the night all the more special.  The International Tweexcore Underground, My Year in Lists and Knee Deep at ATP were all busted out, along with a good chuck of Romance is Boring.  On record the differences between early LC! and current LC! is becoming increasingly pronounced, but live they throw themselves into everything with equal verve.  The gentler songs from four years ago manage to have the same energy as the current ones do.  A lot of this is down to the way Gareth lets loose on every single song (including the inevitable taking to the crowd), and I’m sure he must have lost about half of his bodyweight in sweat by the time the gig was over last night.

A brilliant gig all round.  Below you’ll find a new version of Romance is Boring taken from the new Los Campesinos! EP that went on sale last night.

MP3 Los Campesinos! – Romance is Boring (Princess version)

The All’s Well That Ends Well EP features four new versions of songs from the Romance is Boring album.  It’s available directly from Wichita Recordings, or at selected record stores.  By which I suspect “selected” means all three that are still open.  10″ only, of course.  And labels wonder why they struggle for sales..

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