Like many others, I was suckered in by their debut album with it's Anglo / Eighties influences, but it's an album that hasn't stood up to the ravages of time. But it's watching them perform live where I have the biggest issue. From Sam's Town onwards they may have perfected a more stadium-friendly sound, but in Brandon Flowers they have a perenially weak frontman with little rock 'n' roll persona and a terrible predeliction for feather epaulettes. I had an online spat of sorts with a fellow tweeter about my feelings toward the band, so I thought I'd best finally check out Sam's Town, which a colleague gave me a copy of when it was released but which I just couldn't bring myself to listen to – the press releases that proclaimed it to be influenced by Bruce Springsteen just made me want to cry. Having listened to it, I can honestly say that I will not be changing my opinion of this Emperor and his new clothes anytime soon. I feel about as indifferent toward The Killers as I do about Oasis calling it quits.
A band much more deserving of the hype surrounding them is Arctic Monkeys, whose Reading set from the following week was astounding. Their new album, Humbug, is totally worthy of all the plaudits being heaped upon it and yet Alex Turner and co remain as unassuming as ever. There's no trace of ego here (take note Mr Flowers), and in 'Crying Lightning' the band have produced a song that could usurp 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' as their finest track ever. Then of course there's their cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' 'Red Right Hand', which is rendered perhaps even bleaker and more terrifying than Cave's original.
One of the most impressive things about Arctic Monkeys is just how polished their live sets are. They never make mistakes and the songs – intricate though they often are – sound just like they do on their albums. In that way, they remind me of Kings Of Leon, who I honestly think are the best live band on the planet. Their Reading set was typically excellent, and I'm glad that they delivered the awful-but-crowd-pleasing 'Sex On Fire' with an evident distaste. Apparently they weren't happy with their performance, though I fail to see why.
Nerd-rockers Vampire Weekend are on the cusp of releasing their second album, and tracks like 'A-Punk' had an afternoon Reading crowd pogoing like Zebedee. I think I liked the band before I heard them: intuitively, if a band is centred in New York chances are I'll like them (glib and shallow though that is). Add to that songs which deal with two of my favourite topics – architecture ('Mansard Roof') and the correct use of grammar ('Oxford Comma') – and it's fairly obvious why I'd like them. Bring on album number two, I say. Meanwhile, I'll be checking out their side-project Discovery. (Anyone similarly interested in the correct use of grammar should check out the Apostrophe Protection Society website).
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