Review: Harlem @ The Lexington, June 11th.
Posted by: nick
We hadn’t seen Austin Texas’ Harlem since SXSW 2009 where they blew us away with their catchy surf punk. Since then the band has signed to Matador records, released their second album ‘Hippies’ and doubtless eaten some delicious Texas BBQ. We’re not calling them fat, just commenting on the abundance of good BBQ in Texas!
The three-piece played a frantic, booze fuelled set at London’s Lexington, complaining about various items of kit breaking as the show goes on. But what could prove disastrous for some bands just adds to the ramshackle glory that is Harlem. As showcased by tracks like ‘South Of France’, ‘Witchgreens’ and ‘Psychedelic Tits’ on their first, self-released album, these guys know how to write a catchy three minute tune. Thankfully all of the above get an airing this evening.
As on record Coomers and Curtis swap between lead vocal/guitar and drums/backing vocal duties and Jose’s bass provides an irresistible groove that runs through their songs. While we’re not yet as familiar with material from second album ‘Hippies’, single ‘Friendly Ghost’ jumps out at us and there’s a few other unrecognised songs that really get the crowd going. Back to older material and ‘Beautiful & Very Smart’ is another frenetic winner.
Tonight’s not about the details though (even our camera didn’t turn up!) , it’s about soaking up a boozy Friday atmosphere and listening to a talented band let themselves have a bit of fun. The result is like an Austin house party in the middle of a London venue and that’s something we’d like to see more of. Hell yeah!
