A common theme between tonight’s headliner and support act lies in their frontmen. Both bands are truly led from the front by instrumentless wordsmiths.
Though they’re backed up by bandmates that are clearly more than able, these musicians do not come close to stealing the show. However, there are great differences between the boys Eddie and Paul. Art Brut’s Argos has the crowd eating out of his hand.
A vessel of some of the best, most grin-along, “did he really say that” lyrics from a Brit, this side of Darren Hayman, Argos yells tales of isolation and withering hearts, true outsider anthems. Paul Smith is also prone to the occasional brilliant lyric.
Though too often these are crammed into the first verse of a song, and the rest of it just seems to pass me by. Maximo Park’s singles are bonafide pop smashes, but too many album tracks drudge and fail to grab the audience’s attention. Smith himself is, I’m sure, a lovely man, but his between song banter is from the Arena Rock school of chat, and this causes him to come across as self confident, and all too cheesy.
