The Kidss In Glass Houss Smart Casual Tour 2008 - Astoria 2
Its seems I have been from one end of London to the other over the last few months reviewing acts from pop princesses, alternative rock acts and pure pretty boys.
The venue for this particular gig was The Astoria 2, and what a strange venue it is. It is tiny, it is completely out of proportion with pillars blocking views and has a second level where fans hang out of windows, but even so, Kids In Glass Houses seemed as happy has hippies while playing there on the last date of their tour.
Admittedly, it took them forty minutes to actually make it onto the stage from the time the last band finished their set. Not sure about you, but I never really understood what takes so long sound checking. I though that was what the band did during the day before fans turned up. Understandably, they need to do small amounts after each band has played, just to check things are still on track, but 40 minutes, the support acts had shorter sets. Likewise, once they took to the stage their set seemed to be over quite quickly. The band have recently released their album ‘Smart Casual’, so you would think that by know they would have more than enough material to make a manageable, interesting, exciting and well earned show for the dedicated fans their to see them. Unfortunately at less than an hour long, it is likely some fans felt cheated at the time their spent on stage, while others appreciative of the energetic and powerful performance they put on.
With an opening like the 20th Century Fox film credits, I was quite excited to see what the lads had in store after their Halloween show last year. Not as creative costume understandably, but still the fans loved every minute. They preformed many tracks through their discography. ‘Lovely Bones’ with its catchy chorus to dance to, the pop rock and catchy riff that tangled ‘Shameless’ was amazing, the energy driven ‘Saturday’, which is to be the bands next single, encouraged the crowd to jump as the electric riffs run though the venue, and some fast paced tracks encouraged a ring runner through the fans. On ‘Raise Hell’ the crowd really got their vocals warmed up and ready to take the band on.
They performed upbeat ballads; electric and boppy indie rock and pure energy driven power pop numbers within their set. They made a heck on an entrance and went out the same way singing ‘Give Me What I Want’. On their biggest show to date and a SOLD OUT show at that, I think there wasn’t a single individual in the venue that hadn’t enjoyed the night.
To find out more about this great band, check out their Official Site or the bands Myspace page.