Hanging on in there.
With over four years having passed since the time their style of music was at the peak of its public popularity and since their major album 'Bows + Arrows' was released, the question asked of The Walkmen was could they still cut it? Better received bands had gone the way of disappearing so it was with intrigue and a little excitement that most appeared to be heading to Stereo on a rather damp Saturday night in Glasgow. Most recent record 'You & Me' gave hope that the band was still able to cut it on stage.
At times The Walkmen have a sub Strokes lazy drawl about them but there is a spirit about them and many of their songs which means they are still appealing. They certainly captivated the busy crowd in Stereo, a Saturday night gig always helps but when the band were on top form, its so much easier to elicit a positive response from the paying punters.
Lead vocalist Hamilton Leithauser was pretty convincing and he was another factor in the crowd being caught up in the frenzy of the night. A lot of bands come and offer the blandest of between song chat and banter but there was a genuine attempt at creating a rapport with the crowd and it put the band across well. It is always best to leave the talking to the music though and the chiming loud guitars were the perfect accompaniment for the night out.
A selection of new songs were delivered and although on record they appear with horns, in the live setting they came across as being calmer but certainly no more impotent and still had a serious bite to them.
They may not be able to grab the column inches or appear on the fashionable soundtracks like they used to do in their heyday but there's nothing wrong with the sound that The Walkmen are unleashing on the world.