Yahoo! Music Review

Gig played on 16/12/08

Really, has any city in the United Kingdom remained in thrall to the 1960s to the same degree as Liverpool? Over 40 years on and the spectre of what was arguably the most creative decade of the 20th Century hangs over the North West port in a manner that's as much a blessing as it is a curse. Check the evidence of recent times: The Coral's psychedelic sea-shanties, Candie Payne's soulful torch songs and The Zutons' grooves all owe a debt. And that's before we head back even further and touch upon Cast, Space and The La's amongst many others.

The Rascals are no exception. Even their name tips a wink to the blue-eyed soul of The Young Rascals and the music fed through the PA prior to their entrance is a combination of Phil Spector's "Wall Of Sound", Motown and Northern soul. Chuck into the mix that frontman Miles Kane is better known for The Last Shadow Puppets, his '60s-influenced side project with Arctic Monkey Alex Turner (and just how throwback is the concept of the side project?) and we have the making of a very predictable evening.

Well…to a point. Or at least, not an obvious one. From the mod haircuts through to the patterned neck scarves and bassist Joe Edwards' unashamed sporting of the kind of sideburns that would have made William Gladstone blush, The Rascals would, at first glance, qualify as a tribute band at best. Yet through a combination of charm, chutzpah and not sporting overcoats, they manage to prevent the entire evening falling into the more apparent areas of pastiche.

The Rascals choose their influences well. Rather than plugging straight into the '60s mainline, they instead elect to look to Echo & The Bunnymen's West Coast-inspired psychedelia of "Heaven Up Here" for guidance. So it is that "Fear Invicted Into The Perfect Stranger" is possessed of spatial atmospherics and Will Sergeant's spookiness pervades proceedings. But just in case anybody's missed the references, The Bunnymen's "All That Jazz" and "Show Of Strength" are thrown in for good measure.

There are flourishes when the band succeeds on its own merits; a combustible "I'll Give You Sympathy" sends the testosterone-fuelled lads on the dancefloor into beer-throwing paroxysms and new track "Chills & Fevers" indicates a harder edge. But, for all their exuberance and six-string dexterity, it's difficult to shake the feeling that Miles Kane is simply marking time until Alex Turner is allowed out to play once more.

by Julian Marszalek