Elle Milano

It’s one of music’s biggest clichés: the Big In Japan phenomenon. Eddie Argos is like Rod Stewart in Germany, and the USA lapped up Gavin Rossdale’s Bushy Nirvana-isms. Yet in their own countries? Muted responses at best. This cliché collective, if you will, has some new members: WinterKids. In Japan they are more popular than a Hello Kitty handing out free sake, but on their English home turf they are practically anonymous. Quite why is a mystery, as their sweetly twee, jangling stylings are of a quality good enough to have them mentioned in the same breath as Los Campesinos! And they impressed at both In The City and SXSW last year. Perhaps the reasons behind their lack of a breakthrough thus far will be evident at the Faverhsam.

Playing to a small but intimate audience, the ‘Kids kick things off well with ‘Wonderland’. It’s a song you feel like you have known all your life, although that might have something to do with the fact that it features the same vocals, chord changes and keyboard sounds that have been around for the last 25 years; i.e., it’s nothing particularly original. It is catchy, though, and gets feet tapping and attention locked on the stage. The five-piece then proceed to deliver a set that seems like ten vague variations on a theme: it’s simple, fast-paced ‘indie pop’ (it’s taking over, don’t you know) with a heart. Singer James writhes and pops around the stage, moving like a cross between the Justin Timberlake he aspires to emulate, dance-wise, and the David Brent character he more accurately appears to be. ‘Who Am I Kidding’ is the only real break from the formula, a folk-driven cowbell-laden ditty with keyboard player Hannah turning chanteuse for the occasion. The set ends with ‘Tape It’, easily the band’s top trump. A wiry riff and a chorus that will bore its way into your brain it shows that, if only for three minutes, WinterKids can be exhilarating, fun and electrifying. For a full 30, though, the band feel as if they’re trapped in a deleted scene from Groundhog Day. If variety is the spice of life then WinterKids need some seasoning desperately, otherwise their British anonymity will continue.

Elle Milano (pictured), if nothing else, promise to deliver some much-needed spike and drive to the Faversham. Their debut EP was an aural assault on the listener – riddled with angst and anger it punched a hole in the wall and straight into the hearts of those who cared. It’s a shame, then, that they only play two of the songs from it. ‘Swearing’s For Art Students’ is its usual frantic self, while ‘Believe Your Own Hype. Always’ is the cocky, confident and provocative statement it is on record, but with added vitriol on the live stage. Elle Milano’s back catalogue is as in-depth as it is impressive, and is visited nicely in tonight’s gig: ‘Katsukie And The Stilettoed Heel’ dashes and darts from one extreme to the other with drum beats, scatter riffs and yelps all rushing for attention and colliding in one big mess; ‘Stepkids In Love’ meanwhile has the aura of a haunted fairground all over it – creepy keys, industrial noise and almost spoken words verses are soon brushed away by a tidal wave of a chorus. At times Elle Milano do suffer the same problem as Winterkids though, with one song too many sounding a bit too similar to the last – ‘Carousels’ and ‘The Great Gulf’ have the makings of prime suspects for the chop, especially when the crowd are shouting out requests for older, more loved songs.

Both Elle Milano and WinterKids are sadly far superior on record than they are live, based on tonight’s evidence anyway. The studio suits the latter especially well, as their pop rhythms and melodic hooks can be brought to the fore and given the sugar coating they deserve. Elle Milano, on the other hand, have more cause for concern: Their shouty, moralistic punk should be much more powerful on stage than it proves to be. You get the feeling that their politics are token gestures as there is little gusto and desire shown; where they should be foaming at the mouth they are merely dribbling. It’s a shame that such a highly anticipated gig becomes somewhat of a damp squib, as while these bands have bags of potential they both have a long way to go yet.