Thursday 13 March 2014

The Strypes – Shepherds Bush Empire – 13th February 2014
I must confess, I had my doubts about The Strypes. From what I’d seen and heard they were attempting to slavishly replicate a time around 1964/65 when the early Rolling Stones, The Animals and Them were in the ascendancy with their snotty white boy take on rhythm and blooze. This I did not understand. Surely the modus operandi for teenagers is to be as loud and obnoxious as possible, convincing their elders that civilisation is coming to an end. Teenagers producing music that their parents and indeed, grandparents would know and love is simply not the done thing. Surely The Strypes should be making some horrible discordant noise that would cause David Cameron to flee No. 10 and hide in a flooded field somewhere (well, there are plenty to choose from).

Thankfully The Strypes completely blow my reservations away within thirty seconds of taking the stage. They are not recreating a bygone age. They are taking the aforementioned R’n’B, grabbing it by the throat, giving it a good seeing to and propelling it forward as if fuelled by a monumental amphetamine rush. Sonically they sound like a collision between Dr. Feelgood and the Ramones garnished with a hint of Motorhead. These boys (boys! Guitarist Josh McClorey is the oldest at 20) are already fully formed rock stars. They play the crowd as confidently as they play their music. The first three songs flash by without a pause for breath. The audience need a rest more than the band do! This is by far the most energised take on what used to be called R’n’B since the appearance of Dr. Feelgood in the mid 1970s.

The band are sufficiently tight that if it wasn’t for their youth, you would honestly believe they had been playing for forty years. They are as tight as Ronnie Kray’s thumbscrew. Even when they swap instruments for Got Love If You Want It / I’m The Face the standard of musicianship doesn’t drop below unimpeachable. My only reservation is the number of covers in their set. However, some more killer original material will sort that out. The Strypes are not young pretenders. They are a planet-slaying behemoth waiting to strike. Make your peace with them while you can.
                                                                                                                      Mark Kelly   


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