Mindless Self Indulgence – Roundhouse, Camden – 11.07.08

First up on tonight’s electro-themed line-up is duo Robots in Disguise, bringing their girl punk band vocals to catchy yet silly electro-pop. With songs like “The Sex Has Made Me Stupid” and an energetic cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” they serve as a perfect opening to the evening.

Next up, a move towards rave as IAMX and his band, dressed like true cabaret stars in glitter, heavy make-up and frills, take the stage and boom out some heavy-beat, synth-infused dark dance. Lyrics are mainly about parties, sex and sexuality – “Wanna be a sailor?” – but the audience laps it up and with surprising enthusiasm for a support band.

And then, Mindless Self Indulgence take the stage and fill all of it with their presence. Little Jimmy Urine leaps from the shadows to begin a frenzied rendition of “Shut Me Up,” complete with perfect high squeals for the phrase “knock me up.”

Any parents accompanying hyper-14 year olds would at this point be wondering just what they’ve let themselves in for. And that’s when Jimmy decides to introduce the show. “Tonight, people, we’re going to abuse you like hard drugs! What kind of drugs are you?...Love? Love?! Eugh! Get the f*** out of here, you hippy!” And welcome to the general repertoire of abuse that is to be the main part of the on-stage banter for the evening.

Mindless Self Indulgence love to insult their audience. They want a reaction. Frontman Jimmy spends an embarrassingly long time between songs informing us on just how ugly and stupid we are. At one point, the audience is “held hostage” – he refuses to play on until someone hands him a £20 note. Which some unwitting and most likely drunk fool does. A fool who is now £20 less rich.

But all of this adds to the sense of juvenile joy that Mindless Self Indulgence put into their music. Even though they play their most well-known material at the beginning, causing to a slight dip in atmosphere towards the end, their performance cannot be faulted on its raw energy. Steve Righ? swings his guitar around, mancially eyeing the audience. Drummer Kitty grins wildly. Bassist Lyn-Z arches backwards until her head almost touches the floor before springing two feet into the air. And Jimmy is like a kid having drunk 8 litres of Coca Cola.

Crazy lyrics and crazy stage antics? A gimmick? Many would think so. But then many take music far too seriously. MSI write songs that are bizarre, and quite frankly hilarious. And they just happen to be damn catchy. “Never Wanted To Dance,” a strange combo of electro-industrial-rock, is ironically one of their best dance songs. “Bitches” verges on rap, with repetitive bass and disjointed lyrics. “Faggot” gets the entire audience squealing hopelessly out of tune and chanting gleefully “I’ve been denied all the best ultra-sex.” What other band could get an audience to chant such things willingly?

And this is the essence of Mindless Self Indulgence. They’re like no other band and they’re a whole lot of fun.

Wherever you go Hugo: Urusen @ The Boathouse 01/08

Friday night saw the upcoming Urusen play at the Boathouse. Hotly tipped by the musical press, and shortlisted as one of the twenty bands vying for a Glastonbury '09 slot via the Rockstar '08 competition, they very much warrant the "one to watch" tag. But the night wasn't their's alone, as they were supported by a crop of local acoustic talent.

First off, my apologies to Lonnie Story, who I arrived too late to see. I was, however, fortunate enough to catch Cambridge-based Tallis Anne. If her quiet, fast-spoken words between songs and the occasional bum note suggested a hint of stage nerves then her incredibly powerful, emotive singing voice suggested otherwise, and I hope to see her become a regular on the Cambridge music scene, and maybe beyond. Next up was Peterborough-based Alex Hel and his mischievous guitar Timothy, which caused him no end of grief, as it went in and out of tune at the drop of a hat under his hard, fast playing. To his credit though, the charismatic Alex kept the crowd entertained at all times, and rallied well towards the end to play The Forester's Lament, which was denied from him earlier in the set by Timothy's erratic behaviour.

Finally it was the turn of the headliners. The only full band lineup of the night (although even they were a man down, missing double-bassist Jay Darwish), their rich, full sound captivated throughout. Urusen certainly boast an interesting and unique setup: the twin vocals and acoustic guitars of Ben and Peter interlink effortlessly, Nick adding another layer of sound with his cello, and Kieran providing drums and, later, keyboard. It was impressive to see the host of additional instruments which embellish Urusen's sound, most notably the Charango (imagine a twelve-string guitar in lute form). Each song seemed to have its own interesting background: Hugo ponders what it would be like to travel around with Venezualan president Hugo Chavez, whereas a long introduction to Impossibly revealed it to be the story of an embarrassing two-year teenage crush. The band was rapturously received, and returned for a one-song encore.

A good night of acoustic music at the Boathouse then, and there are plenty more ahead: check out here and http://www.myspace.com/acousticstage for the latest acoustic delights at The Boathouse and other local venues.