Your Vegas / The Upper Room

Having seen the headliners play at Leeds earlier this year, I was in no doubt of what to expect from this gig. However the circumstances were a little different. Firstly, this gig was being held as part of the student night 'Double Vision', meaning thousands of students throughout the building, though the room the bands were playing in was far more initimate than the larger bars.

First up were The Upper Room, who I'd never came across before. Their sound is very much influenced by the modern 'new wave' bands like The Killers, The Bravery, as well as riffs that had a very Interpol/Editors feel about them. The vocals however, were a little different. Imagine Brian Molko replacing Brandon Flowers, and you have 'The Upper Room'. This in itself is not a problem, in fact it is almost inspired, as the combination works suprisingly well.

The main failing is that given the current musical landscape, much of the band's work sounds generic, and many songs sound a like, usually at similar tempo. Technically, I don't think they put a foot wrong, they sounded good, everyone was on form, it was just the creativity that left them lacking. However, with such a strong technical setup and an interesting sound to boot, I wouldn't be suprised to hear big things from this band if they hit the creative nail on the head.

Your Vegas came on at 11.30 for a half an hour set, and they played with far more energy that the previous band, confidence surely gained from their new single release ('Flybuzz', available from HMV) and current UK tour. Though some of their tracks are decidedly more filler than others, songs like the self-titled 'Your Vegas' shone through, rivalling the heavier piano-guitar fusion of 'Flybuzz' and transferring their energy from the stage to the crowd, which is never a bad thing. The band's sound is reminiscent of U2 vocals with Coldplay and more 'new wave' instrumental elements, creating an all together stand out sound that leaves you wondering whether to listen or dance.

The main difference between the two bands last night was versatility; I mentioned earlier The Upper Room's catalogue sounding very similar, Your Vegas are the opposite. They vary from the upbeat love songs that keep the room bouncing to the slower numbers which you'd sing along to if only you could match the range of Coyle Girelli. The blend of effected guitar riffs carried by keys also proves a positive factor in the band's sound. The only complaint I could have last night was that the PA system didn't do them justice (I'm not sure if it had been tweaked enough to compensate for the two acts' differing sounds) and occasionaly when they hit full throttle in their self titled work 'Your Vegs' for example, the vocals were left sounding milky, overpowered by the music itself, thought this was no fault of the band themselves.

The Upper Room: 3/5 - Not bad, pleasant enough and deserving of a support slot
Your Vegas: 4/5 - Powerful performance only hampered by a sub-standard sound system.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.