Reuben

“Scalextric!” Where! Oh, it’s the name of the band – misheard, of course. Scare Electric *sound like a metal band with at least two rappers and a scratch DJ thrown in for good (?) measure. Sound familiar? *Stop *groaning…keep reading. This band actually perform the rap-metal affair properly, i.e. a metal/hip-hop fusion with _real _rapping rather than just rhythmic shouting. The Barfly is small. The stage? Smaller still. *Scare Electric *number seven in total and it’s a squeeze. But they’re not as _tight _as they could and should be in order to co-ordinate such a squad. They entertain in light of their threats to “_…break into your house and fuck your bitch in her mouth!*_” Such poetic imagery clearly goes far.

The D4 are the latest garage-punk band to burst on to the mainstream agenda. Following such carefully-oufitted monstrosities/masterpieces as The Strokes, The White Stripes and The Hives, one might hope for something a bit different and maybe you get it here. There is _no_ discernable uniform on display; any suits, cravats, red/white jeans or not-matching-on-purpose thrift store gear has been left in New Zealand. The quartet plays lo-fi punk, which seems slightly more melodic than usual to the unassuming ear. Some amazingly cheesy solos thrown in at seemingly every opportunity do not and _cannot _go unnoticed. They sound like nothing amazing and having signed to Infectious, they are supporting Reuben tonight, who are on a much smaller label. They do, however, sound brilliantly *Antipodean *as you could just close your eyes and imagine the sheep wandering past.

A Game: spot the disinterested, disaffected, disinfected, lip-pierced youths. Oh yes, Reuben *have been played on *MTV2 and doesn’t it show. Their mailing list appeal for this very phenomenon has been answered in part as the slight gaggle of kids at the front await the arrival onstage of their new heroes. Reuben, themselves, are not much older but show generations of music in their performance. Contemporaries of Vex Red, they may be but despite the similarly _electrifying _live recital, they bring a grungier, more cathartic element to the platform. Visions of Bush *will appear before you, but not in such a don’t-they-sound-like… fashion. Reuben blend something *new into the mix – it might be passion, or energy, or communication, or just really great music. It’s music you can dance to. You can ask for a lot less than that from a song and _still _be satisfied. Entering the charts at #86 with their debut single can only be a start because these boys are going to go a very long way.