The Hoosiers
A recent trend has seen a host of 00’s bands dusting off the guitars and hitting the road again in celebration of their glory days. Following in the footsteps of The Fratellis and The Pigeon Detectives, Berkshire pop-quirks The Hoosiers’ UK tour this month coincides with the tenth anniversary of debut album The Trick to Life.
With a sold out Waterfront Studio awaiting, it’s hard not to feel an essence of ‘is this actually happening?’ when the band bound triumphantly on stage and launch into the classic that is Worried About Ray. Truth be told, it’s bloody awesome. After a decade of performing the same songs, guitar/vocalist Irwin Sparks and drummer Alan Sharland know how to make their songs sound the best. Every track sounds glorious; the wobbly Worst Case Scenario is lathered with guitar effects, while the slow ones – A Sadness Runs Through Him and Clinging on for Life – are striking and raw versus the more upbeat cuts. Goodbye Mr A is the biggest highlight, Sparks holding his shimmering guitar aloft while the crowd applause excitedly.
The encore consists of cuts from the band’s other three albums, or “what we’ve been doing for the past ten years”. Released last year, Pristine is a slick, country-infused number while the electro-pop belter Choices, from 2010’s ‘The Illusion of Safety’, closes the show in glittering celebration.
After ten years The Hoosiers may not be the wacky chart-toppers they once were, but their oddball flare is just as loveable as ever.
