Live: NME Awards Tour 2013

8th February 2013

Academy 1

5/10

Having gained something of a legendary reputation as a star-studded catapult for up and coming bands, the NME Awards tour has given us the opportunity to see these bands play venues that you wouldn’t dream of after seeing them headline an arena a few years later. In 2000, Coldplay were the openers, as were Florence and the Machine in 2009. However, it’s not a guaranteed ticket – who the hell are Llama Farmers?

This year once again sees a bill filled with guitar bands and indie rockers with Django Django the only palate cleanser. Not necessarily a bad thing, but when Palma Violets play a set that sounds like any other supporting indie band around it’s a bit depressing. Whilst they did send the young crowd into a frenzy not normally associated with bands playing early slots, they sourly trundle through their set with the only highlight being NME’s ‘best’ song of 2012, ‘Best of Friends’.

Luckily, Miles Kane fills the gap with an energetic, hard-hitting set of anthems that gets everyone in the crowd moving. He’s got stage presence in abundance and charms the crowd from the off; combining some great new material with all the classics, he sets a good standard for Django Django, who now seem an odd choice for a headliner after Miles.

The headliners start by slowing things right down after Miles, but it never really picks up again. On the one hand, ‘Default’ sends everyone crazy with punchy beats and ‘Waveforms’ builds and flows brilliantly, but there’s obvious lulls elsewhere, and they’re nowhere near as established or engaging enough to be filling such a high-profile slot; they don’t look likely to follow in the footsteps of tour alumni like Arctic Monkeys and Everything Everything in spearheading a new musical generation. In fact, none of tonight’s acts do; Miles Kane, with a solo record and The Last Shadow Puppets under his belt, is by far the evening’s most experienced performer – and tonight, it showed.