Review: Panama Kings, Two Door Cinema Club, Six Star Hotel

Published on GiggingNI.com  27-05-09

Packed to the rafters does not do the Limelight justice tonight. The place was buzzing, the atmosphere electric and to coin a well-used phrase, the craic was ninety. Walking in you would have been forgiven for thinking a band like Queen, The Police, or U2 were playing, but, in reality, the audience had gathered to see three top local bands in action, not the aforementioned superstars.

First on the bill Six Star Hotel, about to embark on a ‘short album preview-type weekend,’ got the rapidly growing crowd more than warmed up. With echoes of Biffy Clyro in their melodic verses that built up to explosive choruses the four piece have been steadily increasing in influence locally and farther a field. A highly energetic performance earned a warm reception from the crowd and Six Star’s style certainly stood out on the night as considerably rockier than the following bands. Songs off the new album ‘A Kind of Crusade’ and older songs were all delivered tightly and professionally to an appreciative crowd. Punchy vocals were accompanied by solid drum and bass lines, and some excellent guitar work especially by the band’s lead guitarist who can only be said to have been ‘giving it stacks.’ A good performance to start off the night by an excellent band who were rockier than I expected for this gig, but were by no means out of place on the bill.

DJ sets from Ed Zealous and a curious but entertaining performance from Captain Queer and Magnum Farce were an excellent addition to the bill and succeeded in maintaining the atmosphere between bands through sing-alongs including ‘Your Love Alone’ by the Manic Street Preachers.

Next up local favourites Two Door Cinema Club, greeted by an adoring pocket of fans who jumped, danced and sang along manically to every tune.  Being somewhat of a purist I was shocked to find that there was a severe lack of a drummer, having never seen the band live before. Naturally sceptical of the overuse of technology in modern music it was going to take some performance to win me around. The Bangor three-piece went a good way in doing so. Songs like Something Good Can Work’ and ‘Cigarettes in the Theatre’ were catchy and easy to listen to. Despite a heavy reliance on technology natural musical ability shone through in the guitar and bass playing of each member and the vocals of front man Alex. With the Limelight’s ever increasing crowd so increased the strength of applause as anticipation grew for the main act, but Two Door Cinema Club were by no means there simply to make up the numbers. A strong performance topped off by ‘Undercover Martyn’ surely won them some new fans and got more than a few toes tapping.

As soon as Two Door left the stage the amount of people at the front of the stage seemed to double. Having never seen the band before and having heard so much about them I found that my expectations were more than lived up to. Dry ice drowned the stage as The Panama Kings made themselves ready behind a thick veil of smoke. A long held note sent a wave of excitement through the audience until the four-piece erupted. A better reaction could not have been expected for a major touring band as the crowd as one sang along to every song, jumped to every beat and became totally immersed in the performance. Songs like ‘Where’s Your Sense of Urgency’ and ‘I Don’t Want to Die’ were roared back at front man Niall by an adoring crowd. The band membership seemed to fluctuate between four and six, as Six Star Hotel’s drummer, among others, added percussion to create a crescendo of noise which only gave the fans the opportunity to reply with even louder applause. The band clearly enjoyed the night as much as the crowd with a relaxed and confident Niall sarcastically congratulating a victorious Man United team in Rome. This is a band on the verge of making major progress and not without reason. It is highly unlikely any other local band could command such an audience, create such an atmosphere or successfully fill such a venue as the Panama Kings did tonight. New single ‘Golden Recruit’ was already as well known as the rest of the set and is sure to gain the local boys some recognition on their upcoming dates with Ash. To cap off a truly unforgettable performance stage dives from Luke and then Ricky after ‘Children’ are proof, if anymore is needed that this band are one of the biggest in Belfast and were more than worthy headliners of a great evening’s entertainment.