Of the two, the band that's making the bigger noise in the music world right now is The Magic Numbers, who are being tipped for big things. And of course, in my normal disorganised state, I arrived late, just in time to catch their last two numbers. They sounded great - I was kicking myself for my stupidity.
Some of it may have been due to Valentines Day, and romantic duties had to take priority, but it was noticeable just how much the audience thinned out in the break. There were obviously some who'd come only to see The Magic Numbers, but they should have stayed.
HAL may not have the "next big thing" tag, but they were very enjoyable. Their sound has obvious strong influences from Crosby Stills, Nash and Young (as do The Magic Numbers from the little I heard) - and even the occasional matching melody - while the vocal harmonies sometimes reminded me of the "West Coast" sound of The Beach Boys, Jann & Dean, and others.
Throughout the set, one constant was the Hammond organ sound, giving a strong early seventies feel. Singer Dave has a great voice, and I'm sure he has a future, but some of the songs didn't seem to flow so well, and they weren't the type of catchy tunes you'd find yourself humming in the days after.
Having said that, I think that familiarity would have me looking on them more fondly, and I'd certainly put the time in to give any future album several listens.
Of all the songs, recent single 'What a Lovely Dance' was probably the strongest, and I much preferred the live sound with stronger guitars compared to the rather strong piano Keane-a-like sound of the recording.
All in all, I very much enjoyed them, but their laid-back sound - even with the stronger guitars live than the two recorded songs I've heard - isn't likely to excite listeners to go out and buy, without something more catchy added to the songs.
article by: Neil Greenway
published: 16/02/2005 10:30
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.