Lisbon @ Waterfront Studio
Indiscernible pop nonsense
Newcastle newcomers Lisbon have found themselves on the fringes of mainstream success with a string of fruity singles boosting the hype around their impressive touring schedule. But after a string of dates in January, the four piece hit up Norwich on their latest leg of touring for a notably less exciting evening.
VYNCE (that’s with a ‘y’, as we’re reminded to an almost patronising degree) are our main support. The Merseyside quartet describe themselves on Facebook as “poppy indie”, a vague and cringe-worthy phrase which more than summarises their performance tonight. Their watered down sugar pop is catchy and performed tightly, but originality is clearly a concept lost to them. And where other acts from the northeast – see Clean Cut Kid for example – get by on charisma, VYNCE also lose marks. Frontman Peter Pegasiou just about looks the part with his hair in a bun and a leopard print shirt hanging from his shoulders, but his lifeless stage presence adds to the long list of things that bore me about this act.
A gig is not good when the music is the least enjoyable aspect. Indiscernible pop nonsense is what Lisbon deliver tonight by the bucket load, the singles Shark and Vice barely standing out against the Bastille meets Coasts meets X Factor brand of lowest common denominator noise that these guys produce. There’s a song called Banana for crying out loud. It’s introduced by the question, “Are you ready for Banana?” How can I take this seriously? Bless Matthew Varty for giving showmanship a go, though. Leading the four piece, he nails the ad-libs, getting a clap along going here, an arm wave there, dishing out his best thanks between tracks. But too much of the performance is offered by lights and effects, which compensate for the bland music we’re subjected to.
It’s worth pointing out that the majority of Lisbon’s fan base are young teenagers who, on a school night in mid May, will be stuck at home stressing about GCSEs and other such trivial pursuits. So congratulations Lisbon, you’ve also failed on the scheduling part of the job, but I’ll let you off because you yourselves look like you should still be sat in a musty gym somewhere trying to recall whether mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Sorry kids, but a flashy stage introduction and coloured lights that sync to the beat of your kick drum isn’t enough to save your painfully empty show tonight. Come back during the summer holidays and maybe give it another shot.
