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A good tip for any wannabe bands would be to call your band The something. It worked for The Beatles, The Stone Roses, The Strokes et al and it's working for two hotly-tipped new bands The Departure and The Killers who shared a stage at the Mean Fiddler last week. A second tip would be to dig out some eighties records and listen carefully because it was sounds from this decade that could be strongly detected in the music of both bands.
However The Departure did demonstrate that they are more than a poor imitation of an eighties art school band. All Mapped Out was followed by a darker, more melancholic number that showed off vocalist David Jones' strong and mature voice. It was the darker, slower tunes, strongly reminiscent of early 80s new wave that revealed hidden depths to The Departure and hinted at the potential that could be developed if their label will allow in a music industry under pressure to create instant successes.
The Departure will no doubt be the envy of hoards of unsigned bands by being snapped up within four months of forming but for relative novices they looked convincing, comfortable and confident on stage. Jones' carefully cultivated stage persona owes some debts to Jarvis Cocker and Morrissey but still manages to be distinctly his own. And musically they demonstrated that there is definite substance to their style.
The five-piece are lucky that their brand of eighties rock is very much en vogue but displayed enough talent to demonstrate that they could be more than a flash in the pan. However, whether they offer something different enough to break out of an overcrowded genre remains to be seem.
Also deeply inspired by eighties new wave was headline act The Killers, who gained their first UK top ten hit with Mr Brightside last week. The crowd had filled out to its full capacity by the time of their arrival and the average age of the audience had also increased by a couple of years to at least eighteen.
There was definite electricity in the air when the Las Vegas four-piece took the stage - a strong sign that a band has something special to offer and the crowd were not disappointed. They sensibly didn't wait long before performing a single and Somebody Told Me was launched three songs into the set to a receptive audience.
Frontman Brandon Flowers (apparently it is his real name) doesn't say much but with his cute boy-band looks and emotive voice, that has no doubt helped to draw the Cure comparisons, he doesn't need to. Ten years ago the UK brought the world Britpop and now the Americans are bringing it back to us but better.
The Killers even performed a song called Indie Rock 'n' Roll, a track which is exclusive to UK purchasers of their album Hot Fuss. The jury's out on the actual song but its sentiment was well received and was a clever way of relating to their Brit audience. The final song of the set was the band's big hit Mr Brightside, which the band rattled through with as much enthusiasm as the audience demonstrated.
Both bands performed slick sets with equal amounts of professionalism and from a batch of new and mostly unheard of material, a number of strong tracks emerged from both The Killers and The Departure. But for veteran indie rock 'n' rollers neither band offered particularly fresh perspectives on a music style that has been churned out rigorously throughout the last two decades. Perhaps this reviewer is getting a little jaded because these are two bands that are definitely doing it for the kids. And deserve success with a fresh generation.
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