Future of the Left - Academy 3, Manchester, 21/5/2009

  by Helen Tipping

published: 22 / 5 / 2009

intro

At the Academy 3 in Manchester, Helen Tipping is impressed as much by Cardiff indie guitar trio Future of the Left's banter and wit as by their energetic songs

We arrive in time for support act, Pulled Apart By Horses, and leave again quickly. It's a bit too metal for me, although no eyeliner was harmed in the process. We return for Future of the Left. Future of the Left are from Cardiff, and are singer/guitarist Andy Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone, both previously of Cardiff band Mclusky, together with singer/bassist Kelson Mathias, formerly of Jarcrew. The band are very witty, which means I almost enjoy the between song banter more than the actual songs. The feedback off the bass amp starts wailing during the first song. It gets compared to whale mating calls and then the whale cum jokes start. Then there is the chance to slag off an unfortunate stage diver who arrives on stage after the song has finished and promply falls off again. Well, who could resist that piece of comic genius ? Their songs are punky and fast. There are some outstanding numbers that I'd like to hear more of, whilst some are not particularly memorable. Then again it is the first time I've heard them, so these may grow with time. For the finale Kelson Mathias gets in amongst the audience before getting them to hoist him up to the lighting rig where he plays upside down for a while before crashing to the floor on his head. He may have split it open, as he thinks there is blood, but luckily he finds it funny. The good humour and banter made this an enjoyable gig. The music was good too in a punky way. The band will be touring their second album, 'Travels with Myself and Another', again later in the year. The photographs that accompany this article were taken by Neil Bailey.