Considering their imminent large scale gig at Creamfields,
Camden's
Barfly seems an uncomfortably small venue for Cagedbaby to be using as
a
warm up. And so it proves, but in a way that demonstrates the
suitability
of their pop music for the bigger stage.
It may be a half hour slot at the start of the night but the quartet
make an immediate impact, tearing people away from the bar to watch.
Singer Tom Gandey exudes a relaxed confidence on stage, his ragged
blond hair covered by a multicoloured cap, orange shirt glowing in the dark.
On
keyboards Jimmy Day cuts a cool, unruffled figure, and Jim
Carmichael provides a propulsive drum track over which Kan
Lailey can strut his stuff. Plenty of hair on show, too!
So far so good, and when the band launch into the electro-stomper 16
Lovers the walls rattle, the disappointingly half-full dancefloor
starting
to shake its booty. The tempo slows with the Norwegian pop
sensibilities of
Hello There, Gandey maintaining eye contact with his audience, and then
it's the INXS-raiding Golden Triangle, the stop-start riff
from
Lailey cutting through the disco beats and Day revelling in the
synthesized
tricks he introduces at the end.
Singer Gandey has a surprisingly flexible voice to go with his stage
presence, at times coming close to the husky tones of the
Beloved
vocalist Jon Marsh, while equally comfortable when required to
rock
out a bit more. Even with just one album to promote the musical variety
keeps the crowd attentive, each track getting a rousing reception and a
grateful acknowledgement from the singer, who returns to his keyboard
now and then, the band often facing east as if about to recite a religious
creed.
With a host of higher profile gigs to come the band perform well
within
themselves, but at the same time thrill with their brands of pop music.
Gandey's wish that the band should play almost totally live is
honoured,
with only the occasional programmed loop showing up - otherwise the
guys
keep it tight as anything, and the bass goes straight through the floor
into the bar downstairs.
With a proper light show to come, and a decent crowd no doubt, the
future looks very promising indeed for Cagedbaby, who look fully
capable of
rising to the occasion. For now though, this will do nicely.
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