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Hoxton Bar And Grill, 27.05.08

Folky and somewhat subdued on record, it’s on the live stage that Born Ruffians truly crackle into life – or at least two thirds of them do. Singer Luke’s aloof stage manner, perhaps born of shyness, strikes the only sour note in what is otherwise a sparkling gig to celebrate the launch of the band’s debut album, ‘Red, Yellow and Blue’.

Born Ruffians | Spanking New Session

Drummer Steve and bassist Mitch do their best to make up for their frontman’s silence: professing surprise at the turn-out for their first headline show, thanking the crowd for their enthusiasm, seeming genuinely delighted just to be there.

Beginning with the woozy intro loops of the title track, the Ruffians overcome some early guitar gremlins to crack through every track on the album, making even the less immediate tracks sound compelling. Watching them power through the complex rhythms and mid-song tempo changes, weaving intricate vocal harmonies or just yelping along is at first jaw-dropping and quickly brings on a big happy grin.

We are treated to a rendition of early single ‘This Sentence (Will Ruin/Save Your Life)’, mysteriously left off the album, and a couple more tracks from an early EP before ‘Hummingbird’ – now familiar as the soundtrack to an ad for an odd-animal loving mobile phone operator - finally ignites a round of pogoing from a group of girls in front of the stage.

With that ad contract in their pocket and on the back of the popularity of bands such as Vampire Weekend and Foals who share Born Ruffians’ love of complicated song structures and Afrobeat-inspired rhythms, it seems the band could soon achieve the acclaim they so richly deserve.

Written By Alex Johnson

• WRITTEN BY
  ERICA POWELL
  FRI 30/05/08 @ 17:35

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