Elle S'appelle

Liverpool, a city where The Beatles are kings and everyone else is merely a pretender to the crown, can be very frustrating at times. You don’t need me to list the amount of bands with no ambition other than to play in the Cavern and get signed to Noel Gallagher’s label. So when a band like* Elle S’Appelle* crop up they seem beyond exciting, overlapping dual-sex vocals, end-of-the-pier keys and a fast, hard rhythm section. Everything combines to maximum effect, leaving the listener in a state of pure joy. But let’s not get too excited, yet: they are still a fresh, new band, and are low on gigs. They have got the obligatory MySpace packed full of tunes and a single coming out on the ever reliable Moshi Moshi in the not too distant future, though, so bright things beckon indeed.

Playing to a seemingly non-plussed crowd (entry is free), the band at times feel like they are going through the motions. Add to that the frankly awful PA system and the odds are stacked against the three-piece tonight._ ‘Mariappa’’s harmonious drive breaks through the mist of indifference though, and gets people moving; a contagious opening line which sounds scarily like Freddie Mercury shouting at a small girl kicks things off before the song breaks down into a vocal workout and about four songs all playing at different speed vie for attention. The aforementioned single, ‘Little Flame’, showcases why Elle S’Appelle’s star has risen so quickly. It’s a song that sounds like you have known it all your life, rattling along with jingle and jangle before a chorus that is guaranteed to stick in your head for weeks comes to the fore. It’s not rocket science; it’s perfect pop. The set ends with _‘She Sells Sea Shells’: an irritating keyboard noise is forgivable as the rest of the track follows the formula of the set as a whole, hook-laden vocals set to a backdrop of distorted bass lines and tight rhythmic drumming.

While they’re not re-inventing the wheel, and the Mates Of State comparisons are a little too close for comfort, tonight’s performance aids to confirm that Elle S’Appelle are shaping up to follow Hot Club De Paris and Ladytron out of Liverpool’s ‘60s shackles and into the big bad world or forward-thinking music. All that is left to say is Elle S’Appelle,_ vous faites nous nous sentons excités._