There's a natural buzz around Bellatrix, an enthusiastic, infectious energy abounds in them. They come on stage in front of a half full house left utterly bemused by punk's a nswer to Jason Donavan and his band Glitterbug. Instantly the atmosphere changes. The Bellatrix girls are here to party and they've brought a bloke along to play the drums.
Bellatrix are hard to pin down into easy record company categories which has probably retarded their career to date. But within their set there's enough A-grade material to start a few heads turning. The key is, Bellatrix know how to build a good song.
Their music ranges from the polished sweetness of The Corrs to the beats and samples of Future Sound of London. It's all spliced together with a punky spark injected with fuzzy guitars and an arsenal of vibey samples and fills. You can see where the marketing department would scratch their heads.
But it works. New single, 'Sweet Surrender', hotly tipped on Radio One, has the hallmarks of an indie hit, soft vocals and a dancey off-set beat rise to sweeping choruses. Singer and violinist Eliza Geirsdottir revels in catty lyrics and teenage enthusiasm as the band bombard their meagre audience. From the blockbusting opening of 'Dare Devil' through to the pop mayhem of 'Jedi Wannabe' and the screeching guitars of 'Lullybye'. Bellatrix are putting in the effort at a gig where many others would just go through the moves.
Bellatrix sing about love and failure and teenage crushes, but don't wallow in the aftermath. They're too busy bouncing about the stage to care. Eliza introduces, 'This Boy Will Be Mine' as 'an anthem for the women of the World', all softly sung verses and booming choruses which mix it all up.
Bellatrix play with their music, enjoy mixing it up and cross genres without batting an eyelid. As a result they are a wondrously original band with their own distinctive sound. Go and listen.
