Hot on the heels of last year's rip-roaring success of a soirée, the North East's favourite post-punk indie noiseniks are back for another round of pre-Christmas pints in the air, arms around mates frivolity and just like 09, they've brought a boatload of bezzie friends along for the ride.
Regrettably, fellow Sunderland stalwarts Coal Train (terrible, terrible name, guys) fail to translate in a half empty Academy 1, their particular brand of softer, more introspective indie rock losing a great deal of its edge in such a cavernous environment. The band's lack of animation certainly doesn't help matters; while things do become moderately interesting when the guitars are permitted to make a bit of a racket, for the most part, the band stay stock still, more intent on shoegazing than interacting with their audience. It's early days yet for these guys, of course, and their decidedly Wilco-esque ditties are well worth investigating, but tonight, Matthew, they simply don't cut the mustard.
Where The Sea Starts, on the other hand, have the hundred or so bemused punters in Academy 2 eating out of the palms of their spindly hands, despite a few unfortunate setbacks, the most notable of which is the fate that befalls a synthesizer, falling unspectacularly from the stool it is perched on halfway through the set. The boys plough on, however, creating thirty minutes of intriguingly oblique math-rock soundscapes, cut from the same cloth as Battles and, even more interestingly, American prog-punk pioneers Minus the Bear. Newcastle doesn't really know how to react at first - the tempo is awkward, the beats out of time - but WTSS win us over with their sheer, unrelenting skill. There's some seriously impressive musicianship in this ragtag-looking bunch and while their unusual output may not exactly have crossover appeal, they're certainly a darn sight more interesting than Coal Train.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Frankie and the Heartstrings unleash half an hour of purest pop on an impressively substantial crowd, firing off addictive choruses and irresistible hooks like there's no tomorrow. Frankie pouts, preens and flounces around the stage throughout, bearing all the hallmarks of a 1980s Morrissey (minus the obligatory flora and fauna) and providing the 'sex' quotient promised by their self-created record label. It's a winning combination, effortless in its simplicity; with tracks as ludicrously straightforward as 'Ungrateful' and 'Hunger' - all you really need to learn are a few 'oh ohhhhh oh's - these boys will surely go far. Look out for the debut LP, due for release in early 2011. It's gonna be massive.
The deliciously spiky Little Comets are going to be huge too... so much so, in fact, that Academy 2 is so packed before they've even played a note that security are turning people away. Consequently, we're unable to witness their undoubtedly splendid set, but we'll settle for another quick listen to the wonderful 'Isles', one of the year's very best singles, on our respective iPods before the main attraction. Fortunately, within minutes of Ross's gangly frame meandering stage-left, the collective disappointment at being turned away from the upstairs room is quickly forgotten and the party truly begins. There's no dicking around from our headliners this evening: Barry, resplendent in sparkly suit and still sporting that ludicrous quiff, launches headfirst into the familiar opening bars of indie pop gem 'The Beginning of the Twist' with barely time for a hello, and the 'bouncy bouncing' (their words, not ours) begins. Four albums and countless globetrotting tours in, and The Futureheads are one well-oiled, super-slick rock 'n' roll juggernaut, tighter than a badger's proverbial and masters at giving their insatiable crowd just what they want, when they need it most.
The set worms its way through their rich back catalogue, firing away hit after hit but peppering proceedings with the occasional newbie from recent release 'The Chaos'. Predictably, it's lead single 'Heartbeat Song' that receives the warmest reaction, although the eponymous track rocks like a bastard this evening too. Still, it's the early material we really want and the boys don't disappoint: 'Robot', 'Carnival Kids', 'He Knows', 'Meantime', a brilliantly sexy 'Decent Days and Nights', hell, even once-in-a-blue-moon non-album single 'Area': they're all here, dusted down, polished up and unleashed in a torrent of extra-spiky, ultra-scuzzy guitar noise. There's 'Hounds of Love' too, of course, but that's a given. The masses lap it up, and the guys do their usual, by now slightly predictable 'split the crowd down the middle' schtick, but it's the other classics that are the highlight , and the icing on the proverbial cake comes with closer 'Christmas in the 1980s', the band's very own Yuletide ditty. It's a fitting end, reminding us why we're gathered here in the first place and setting the scene for the days to come.
So, another year, another Futurefest, another bevvy of brilliant bands (well, mostly) thrown together under one roof and given the chance to shine. The Futureheads may be the masters of their craft but there's plenty other bright stars here to watch out for too. Futurefest 3 can't come soon enough.
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