Eugene McGuinness

Whether it’s the increasing clamour surrounding Eugene McGuinness, or the ultra seediness of the Soho Revue bar - replete with decadent upholstery and oiled-up poles - he looks bewildered, like a boy who’s just caught his parents having sex.

And with regulation indie haircut, Fred Perry tee, skinny jeans and Converse, there’s nothing spectacular to visually mark him out in a crowd. Unless you think a young Graham Coxon with a centre-halve’s nose is hot stuff ~tssss~.

Yet there’s been barely a dissenting voice in response to The Early Learnings Of Eugene McGuinness, his recent mini-album. And his appearance at the Revue does little to add any meat to the bones of what we know about this talented 21-year-old troubadour. But ‘ee gads it’s a tantaliser.

In a modest 25-minute solo airing, he races through the audible sigh that is ‘A Girl Whom My Eyes Shine For But My Shoes Run From’, the manic ‘High Score’, a rather transient _‘Vampire Casino’ and a few newbies perhaps destined for the debut album proper. Oh, and a swiftly aborted stab at audience banter.

His songs are charming, innocent then scathing, instantly accessible, rapid fire then barely whispered, but above all else bloody good. But do they really stick in the mind as much as you expect them to? I think the jury’s still out.

Shy and virginal in the salacious surroundings he may seem, but there is confidence in omitting the single ‘Monsters Under the Bed’ (link) - a true 140-second pop gem - the charming piano-led ballad ‘Madeleine’ and ‘Wendy Wonders’ - an utterly brilliant new one which appeared (and promptly disappeared) on his MySpace page recently.

He’s the lost Arctic Monkey who just fancies sharing some homespun vignettes from his own world, instead of commentating on everyone else’s, all with a wistful voice that goes wonderfully warbling when he goes high, high, high... And while he doesn’t dazzle in this all too brief and noisy gig (tonight he plays pacemaker to Athlete and Parka), we get a sneaky peak of a chap who shows signs of having _it_.

The bottom line: I leave for the grotty glamour of Soho wanting to see more.