Delays at Koko

Delays at Koko

21 July, 2008
by: Jayrock

Kicking things off with a decibel level that could make your ears bleed and a slightly cringy faux-psychedelic backdrop, I could have been forgiven thinking that the Delays were not about to become my new favourite band.

It's not like I don't know who they are either; I, like many other slightly wet indie kids, had always been partial to a couple of tracks off their 2004 debut album 'Faded Seaside Glamour' and I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because they ended up signed to Rough Trade. In fact, I'd even listened to the follow-up, 'I See Colours' and, while not entirely convinced by the increasingly sweet and gooey pop thing, I didn't completely write them off. But seemingly I should have. For what I have the slight misfortune to witness at Koko is at best, rather trying.

Part of this may have been something to do with the crowd. Surrounded by tarted-up chavs and middle-aged real estate agents who spend most of their time whooping, swaying and excitedly indulging in the over-head clap, I feel a little ill at ease from the outset.

To give credit where a miniscule amount of credit is due, the clean-cut, skinny-legged Southampton four-piece were polite, energetic and appear to be very happy to be here to show off their new album, 'Everything's the Rush'. Well, at least someone is happy to be here. After enduring a few songs and some rather banal and dire attempts to incite the crowd with taunts such as 'London, raise your fucking hands!' I do my darndest to tune them out. But to no avail.

I'm familiar with the falsetto, girly voice of the lead singer Greg, so I don't expect his voice to bother me at all. However, the shrillness that needles me every minute of this gig is phenomenal. As my companion so succinctly expresses: 'His voice hurts my teeth'.

Being a decent lass I'm happy to blame a lot of it on the sound, which is quite frankly crap – too loud and with a lack of equilibrium so that the vocals, whilst piercing enough to make a cat cry, are also rather muddy and indistinct. Song-wise, they play a lot of new tracks (sorry, I couldn't make out many of the names except the ironically named 'Hooray'), and a few from the last album such as 'Hideaway' and 'Valentine' which make the easily-amused crowd go wild. In my opinion, the best song of the entire set is an oldie, 'Long Time Coming', which manages to bring a nostalgic, albeit fleeting smile to my face.

All in all though, no amount of bedazzling lights or candy synthesisers could get me enthusiastic about this performance. With the effeminate 'woooooo'-ing and the lame clamour accompanying it, their new tracks are no doubt earmarked for the soundtrack of at least two separate episodes of Hollyoaks. There is a place for this kind of pop; it's just not a place I'd like to be in.

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Jayrock