It seems a rainbow appears every time Welsh power-pop favourites Los Campesinos! come to town. Seven band members, each with more colour than a rattling bag of skittles, lit up the Night & Day Café in the heart of Manchester on the night of Eid.
Selling out venues across the UK has not fazed this youthful crew who happily mingled amongst the crowd and even enticed many to purchase crazy animal fronted t-shirts as soon as they stepped through the doors of the venue. The band displays all elements of FUN through their songs, videos and artwork, and evidently have countless laughs each time they’re together. It was great to finally see the band transform this colourful energy onto a headline stage.
Support came from Leeds based, Sky Larkin, dishing out some very tasty cup-cakes, and the hugely acclaimed, You Say Party! We Say Die! skipping across the pond on the Canadian airlines for this UK tour - an awesome bill, highlighting the ever growing popularity of the headline band.
Los Campesinos!’ selection of catchy pop beats certainly got Me! You! and the entire crowd dancing throughout. They even ended with a choreographed dance routine that would have made the likes of Justin and Britney weak at the hips. At some moments, the size of the Night & Day could not do justice to the sheer amount of sound coming from the assortment of instruments and various vocals. However the band never failed to entertain, even altering their lyrics for the city and night they were playing on.
For as long as Los Campesinos! are together having fun, they will continue to produce great music which so happily reflects this. Their long awaited debut album is due out early 2008 and it will most certainly be one of the most refreshing sounds you’ll hear in the coming year.
Rating: 7/9
Author: Tom Bryan
