Datarock, The Valentinos @ BarOn The Hill, Newcastle(17/02/06)

Thu 23rd Feb, 2006 in Gig Reviews

The Valentinos arrive with their first show in Newcastle with a punk attitude. I don’t want to be too rash but they seem to be another fashion band.

However only time will tell whether they are just a fashion victim or can go the distance. There is some originality and some catchy songs especially on the track “man with the gun” which has had some radio play. I didn’t think there would be many people to see the support, but as they begin quite a few people show up, tapping their feet and dancing. They have all the right connections, Kim from The Presets recorded their first EP, and they scream to the crowd “we wanna be the presets!!”. The Valentinos certainly show potential, undoubtedly it would help if they tried being themselves rather than someone else.

Datarock arrive on stage to cheers and are all clad in red and white tracksuits, something I wasn’t expecting to see. They are obviously excited to be here, and the crowd is excited to see them. With their tongue in cheek lyrics it’s hard not to smile. Their sheer enthusiasm and accents seem to do the trick. They even have choreographed dance moves which involve robotic dancing; standing on either side of the stage and pointing at the crowd. They play their song written about and dedicated to none other than Molly Ringwald. Somehow Datarock seem to blend aspects of indie, disco, electro and pop together so they can effectively bridge all sub genres and it’s done so effortlessly. As they like to describe it “datarock plays…well datarock”.

The stand out tracks were definitely their kitsch song Computer Camp Love which came in at number twelve on triple j’s Hottest 100 last year. Pretty good achievment for a band that no-one had effectively heard of six months ago. Something which they graciously thank the crowd for. And the crowd thanks them right back with cheers and dancing, yes there was interaction involved including hand movements and singalongs. In the hilarious song titled Night Flight To Uranus, it was entertaining to say the least, to see the whole crowd singing.

They also covered a famous Norwegian Metal band, which isn’t suprising as one of them used to play in a metal covers band. Their latest single Fa-fa-fa which is as catchy live as it sounds on record gets everyone in the room moving.

The encore includes the amazing I Used To Dance With My Daddy and singer Fredrik Soroea encourages once more everyone to sing, and they do gladly. The highlight without a doubt though is at the end of the show, datarock get kids up on stage, and it is really one big party, and I can’t keep the smile off my face.

Datarock are fun and funny. They have the ability to make fun of themselves and in the process it just makes for a whole lot of fun for the audience too.