The Twang / The Ruling Class

The day after Valentine's Day finds me at the unromantic Sheffield Fusion & Foundry, I say unromantic as there is a definite lack of ladies in the area, the club is also lacking many students, in fact, there seems to be a lack of anyone under 25 & female. This makes the choice of support band tonight, The Ruling Class, a perfect match for The Twang's audience. Sounding very similar to Stone Roses, The Smiths in fact I could go on with any Mancunian guitar based indie band from the last 15 years and you get the drift of The Ruling Class. They do it well but it all seems so last century, done so much better by bands long gone by.



So on to The Twang, oh The Twang, it wasn't meant to be this way. Was it? Form a pub band, maybe get a deal, can't believe they get a deal, can't believe they are touring, and definitely cannot believe they are playing major festivals, then surely the dream was supposed to end, such was their infectious enthusiasm as a live band you couldn't help but like them and sing along to their easy to remember tunes, but surely they were a one album, one trick working class pony and would then disappear into the ether of so many other one album bands.

Tonight they say very little, tonight it's all very serious, it's about the new stuff! Opening up straight into 'Wide Awake' the cups of stale beer are thrown to the front like Niagara Falls and it is actually difficult to hear the band through the loudness of the adoring fans.



First new song tonight is the bass heavy 'Put It On The Dancefloor', giving the drunken crowd a quick respite from the cheering until 'Either Way' winds into gear and the baying crowd do likewise. The Twang seem to have a swagger and confidence unlike the nervous energy from their earlier shows, to play two major single releases so early is certainly a statement of intent. The gig goes old song - new song, crowd go loud – quiet, drink more beer, hug your best mate and so it goes on, just over half an hour later and they tell us thanks a lot and off they go...

So it would be a bad move if they didn't come on for an encore which they duly do, with a stonking rowdy version of 'The Neighbours' followed by a final jig to 'The Cloudy Room'.

This was a fantastic if short gig and The Twang really suited the small and intimate Fusion & Foundry, but then their sound does well in the tents at the festivals. So what for the future then? Well they certainly seem more serious about the business, with less swearing at the crowd, maybe even a concerted effort to become more radio friendly, even dare I say professional. The new songs are sounding good and judging by the amount of singing that could be heard on the way out, The Twang's career certainly is not over yet, not until after the next album anyhow.....



Set list:
Wide Awake
Put It On The Dance Floor
Either Way
Got No Interest
Ice Cream Sundae
Push The Ghosts
Back Where We Started
Encouraging Sign
Got Me Sussed
Live The Life You Love
Two Lovers
The Neighbours
Cloudy Room

FUTURE GIGS