Tall Boys - Koko, London, 11/5/2006

by Anthony Strutt

published: 24 / 5 / 2006

Anthony Strutt watches Stereolab play a brass-dominated, but typically brooding set at their first London gig in some years

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Tonight in London is a busy night for gigs. Over on the other side of London at the Astoria in Charing Cross Road, Mudhoney make their return, but I'm in trendy Camden for Stereolab's first London gig in a few years. Stereolab have been quiet of late apart from putting out various 7 inch releases of which the last pile were collected together as an album, 'Fab Four Suture' . I like Stereolab on the whole, but the last time I saw them was supporting R.E.M. at Earl's Court on their 1999 'Up' tour tonight. I'm watching a band that have moved on so much that I don't know what they are playing. There are no hits or golden oldies on show tonight, and the bulk of the set is very much too loud, but the crowd love it to the end. The band play for 90 minutes of which a lot of the set is heavy on the brass front, instrumentation that they never used before. A lot of the set is typically Stereolab, very French and trendy in its sound while remaining broody as a hangover before a morning cigarette and coffee. I prefer the encore because it is more like the Velvet Underground's 'White Heat' in its essence and has more of a groove. Not my most enjoyable gig but interesting nevertheless.