Alphabeat Gig Review

On Sunday night, I went to the Alphabeat gig to review them for the student newspaper. This should also feature on their website but I can't find it right now, so here it is:

Following the release of their second album, The Beat Is... in March, Danish six-piece Alphabeat are taking their now dancier set on tour throughout the UK, including a night at Oxford’s O2 Academy, supported by Pearl & the Puppets and Eliza Doolittle.
First up, receiving a warm welcome, Pearl and her puppets are best classed as ‘easy-listening’, with potential talent lurking underneath songs with more ‘ahs’ and ‘doos’ than lyrics. The ukulele was a nice touch.
To my mind, Eliza Doolittle stole the show. Her charming smile, crystal clear vocals and down-to-earth lyrics, reminiscent of Kate Nash, were combined with a stage presence that befits her performance-arts background. Her cheery pop shows influence of old rhythm ‘n’ blues and even the lilt of reggae. Current single ‘Skinny Genes’ went down particularly well.
After this outstanding warm up, Alphabeat took to the stage, and met with an audience who were raring to go. Although two-thirds of the band looked as if they had entered the stage straight from the labs, I have never seen a band that so openly enjoys the music they produce. Every one of them smiled and danced from beginning to end. The two singers, Stine Bramsen and Anders SG, work well together, she all flicky hand gestures and twinkle-eyes, he so over-enthusiastic and off with the fairies it occasionally left the realm of the entertaining and entered that of the mildly disturbing.
Despite the unfortunate tendency of many of the songs to sound like the one before, the singles stood out. With many singalongs, the band and audience enjoyed the music together, and this became an infectious pop set. Recent single Hole In My Heart could have come straight off a dancefloor. One thing I did come away convinced of, is that Liam Gallagher never did the tambourine full justice.

Having since downloaded some Eliza Doolittle tracks, I can recommend Moneybox, Rollerblades and Go Home, on top of Skinny Genes, which everyone knows. They're very summery tunes :)