The Long Blondes - Live at KCLSU

The Long Blondes – King’s College London Student Union, 14^th June 2006

Until their recent deal with Rough Trade, Yorkshire’s answer to Blondie were one of the best unsigned bands in Britain and easily the sexiest. Tonight, the eye-bleedingly stylish Long Blondes occupy the KCLSU stage with a presence a lot of other bands would kill for and they bloody know it. No bad thing – they exude a charm that fuels their performance and mesmerises the crowd.

But The Long Blondes aren’t all style and no substance. Live, their feisty Blondie-listening-to-Pulp-in-the-‘50s take on zeitgeist indie sounds fuller, punchier and more energetic than they do recorded. In a world full of bands who sound exactly the same on a stage as they do on a stereo, that’s a treat.

Their (disappointingly short) set struts its way through older material and intriguing new tracks like their latest single “Weekend Without Makeup” and close with fan favourite “Separated By Motorways”. They aren’t an inaccessible band but if you don’t already like them, their live set probably won’t win you over. But if you’ve got the slightest interest in them go see them live first chance you get.

It’s over in a flash, leaving the kids at KCLSU slightly irritated at the length, but buzzing with excitement – The Long Blondes are irresistible.