There was something a little too studied, and perhaps pre-planned, about Dark Horses’s show on Saturday. It took the best bits of 1970s New York, UK punk, repetition from the likes of Clinic and even a smidgen of Garbage, then mixed them up, but sadly came out the other end with something a tad dull.
Certainly, the newly-appended four-piece had a mission statement (they were joined by a new bassist tonight), but the sum total of their clearly numerous influences was underwhelming. Frontwoman Lisa Elle was a little too pristine to accurately ape the smacked-out chanteuses of the past she clearly adores, and the newer, more heavy tracks only really hinted at the delicious drones that working with producer Richard Fearless should have led the band to.
Still, this was a watertight show with a drummer who was especially captivating, alternating between traditional time signatures and off-kilter prog – often in the same song. As a closed unit of individuals, Dark Horses look imposingly monochrome but their music needs a tweak here and there – or better still to go fully psychotic – to truly live up to the image.
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