Young Rebel Set - Ruby Lounge, Manchester, 14/4/2010

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 29 / 4 / 2010

intro

At the Ruby Lounge in Manchester, Dixie Ernill finds compelling psychedelic-influenced Stockton-on-Tees' indie pop septet the Young Rebel Set's tales of late night drinking, broken hearts and failed dreams

It’s Saturday 10 April at the Attic in Accrington and despite being scheduled to play around 10.30ish, Young Rebel Set are still sound-checking 'If I Was' at 9.10pm. Indeed, it’s nearly midnight when they finally take the compact stage, as the club desperately waits for a few more punters to arrive to spare the blushes of the support band, Electric Brains. Despite there being less than a dozen people in the venue, Electric Brains serve up an energetic set reminiscent of a more psychedelic version of fictional band the Carrie Nations from cult Russ Meyer flick ‘Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls’. Thankfully a few more post pub revellers have turned up by the time Young Rebel Set start up. I’m sure no-one knows who the band are, but such is the catchy nature of their songs, there is soon a fair bit of action on the dance floor. Fast forward a few miles and a few days and Young Rebel Set are back in the North West, but this time they are playing in the centre of Manchester at the Ruby Lounge, which may lack the charm of the Attic but can boast a more sophisticated sound system (allowing the band to play a full set) and a larger more affiliated crowd (allowing the band to play on time)! Whilst the Accrington gig wasn’t bad, it is tonight that Young Rebel Set really come into their own. Mixing the best elements of the Libertines (before they became a media circus), the Coral and the Pogues with like-minded bands such as the Airborne Toxic Event and the Gaslight Anthem they create a canon of original songs that are so good they trick the brain into thinking they are classic covers. The magnificent seven, well marshalled by Matty Chipchase (who bares more than a passing resemblance to Rufus Wainwright), power through foot tapping tracks like 'I Wish' and 'Already Forgotten Your Name', before after a knowing swig of Newcastle Brown the current single and ode to drinking 'Won’t Get Up Again' is unveiled to rousing success. The keyboard led 'Borders' (one of the casualties of the truncated Accrington set) shines tonight and slower new song 'Red Bricks' highlights a different side to the band (and allows the audience to catch breath) as Matty Chipcase’s vocal is reminiscent of local troubadour Liam Frost. The band finish with superb live readings of their first two singles, the Dylan/Cohen inspired 'If I Was' and a triumphant 'Walk On', surely THE single of 2009? Whilst these young rebels may never win any prizes for originality, they will always be in the top set for entertainment if they continue to breed songs fuelled on their shared experiences of late night drinking, broken hearts and failed dreams dragged up from the bowels of life in Stockton-on-Tees. They may not hold their home town in high esteem, but it is as much a part of their make-up as their musical heroes and long may it continue to be so.

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