Live: The Bohicas

4th of October

Sound Control

On a Sunday evening in October, on the top floor of Sound Control, the Bohicas performed to a small but lively crowd on their second tour of the year around the northern cities of England. I must admit that I was sceptical when I turned up to the gig; the critics have not been kind to the new ‘band to watch’ of the indie rock/garage scene. For that is indeed what this band are aiming to be; they’ve stated plainly that they aren’t trying to explore new horizons but are stoking the fire of the genre by sticking firmly to the blueprints of the great bands of the mid-Noughties such as the Arctic Monkeys (who, incidentally, are on the same record label).

With this in mind, my scepticism grew when the support act, Seize the Chair, began their set; this band have been described by one reporter as “barely clinging to the edge of sanity,” trading indie rock for the sounds of synth and echoes with their inspiration coming from bands like The Troggs and The Monks. It reminded me of when I went to see Muse perform in London with Dizzee Rascal as their support; no one in the crowd was interested. This had a similar feel.

However, despite these setbacks, the Bohicas lived up to expectations. The set was punctuated with such album tracks as ‘Red Raw’, with a haunting melody that reminded the crowd of a Kings of Leon track. There was an eclectic mix of crowd-chanting hits like ‘Where You At’, which lifted the atmosphere after the chaotic support act.

This band are destined to be bombarded with comparisons, but no one in the room seemed to be taking this as a negative. As the chorus line of their song ‘To Die For’ states: “You’ve heard it all before, but baby we’re just to die for.” Seems about right; any fan of the Arctic Monkeys, The Hives or Kings of Leon would find themselves tapping along to The Bohicas, wondering how they hadn’t come across them sooner.

7/10