12

El Presidente - Please Be Upstanding

I suppose the hardest job of tonight is being the opening act on the Kasabian tour, the first of three bands, the last being Kasabian. Not usually an easy task for any band but the SonyBMG stable mates of Kasabian were well and truly up for this.

This hotly tipped five piece from Glasgow, are certainly doing the rounds at the moment and they are getting better with every live performance. This is the first of three nights at the Manchester Apollo, the largest stage they have appeared on so far, and they look as if they have been playing venues this size for years.

They may have only been on stage for thirty minutes, but the seven songs that they performed were powerful. 'Without You' a powerful song, full of excellent riffs and brilliant accompaniment on drums, and keyboards. They were also able to perform their up and coming single '100 MPH', which actually sounds even better live than recorded.

This is a band not afraid to talk to the audience and introduce their tunes, and build a rapport. Finding out about the background to 'Generous Thing Around', about the lead singers sister who is having an affair with a Priest. To the last song 'Walk It' that they performed, again powerful vocals, great guitar riffs and support from keyboards and drums.

El Presidente have a great year a head of them, with a debut album coming out in summer, playing Glastonbury, T In The Park, Tribal Gathering and V2005. This is a band that can only get better, they are already a rounded and brilliant live act. The world is their oyster, go see them, they are going to be massive.