There must be something in the water in Northeast England. That is, some special ingredient that produces energetic punk-pop. First there was The Futureheads of Sunderland with their infectious update of Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds of Love’. Then last year Newcastle art-rockers Maxïmo Park sprung onto the scene like an oily haired jack-in-the-box with a similar batch of sharp-edged rock‘n’roll songs. Now, in 2006, Tynemouth’s The Motorettes and Newcastle’s Kubicheck! are the bands carrying the torch for the ‘why-aye’ region in the British indie stakes. But will they follow in the success of the Geordies who’ve gone before them?

With new releases on the horizon and a clutch of singles behind them, both these bands are making waves on the fringes of the mainstream indie circles, and the latest leg of a joint UK tour finds them in the Scottish capital, at Cabaret Voltaire, a subterranean venue of living-room-sized proportions. Imagine Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club and you’re halfway there.

First up are The Motorettes, a three-piece noisier than most two-guitar bands, with a style of power-pop that fuses the happy harmonies of 60s sunshine groups with the power chords of modern emo-punk à la Jimmy Eat World. Add to this the distinctive, (and, dare I say it) quirky voice of the lead singer, and The Motorettes are practically irresistible. The ascending guitars and Ramonesy shouting of ‘Super Heartbeats’ was a highlight of their set, as was forthcoming single ‘You Gotta Look the Parts’.

At this point a note on the sound quality of this gig, which is quite frankly, piss-poor. This is largely due to the dynamics of the venue (a hall cupboard would have similar acoustics) and the often deafening volume produced by both bands. A larger, roomier stage would have showcased them a lot better. But everyone’s got to start somewhere, so rant over.

When Kubichek! take to the stage, they immediately endear themselves to the Scottish crowd: “The further north you get, the better it gets!” Pleasantries over, Kubichek! storm into an even louder set than The Motorettes. Disappointingly, the sheer volume of the guitars in these close confines obscures most of the lyrics, especially on single ‘Nightjoy’, which I knew, from hearing it on their MySpace site, is an excellent piece of songwriting – similar in style to Editors (who Kubichek! recently supported on tour).

But Kubichek! really show their stripes when they slow it down, as in rousing anthem ‘Hope is Impossible’ which employs the quiet-loud-quiet strategy of bands like Mogwai or Sigur Ros to great effect. Did I say earlier that Kubichek! were too loud for this cramped venue? I take it back. They finish their set with a song I confess I didn’t catch the name of, but it’s a deafening piece of thrashing guitars, and the band seem to cut loose, spinning and writhing around the small stage. As they leave to a wail of feedback, a front panel comes loose and falls off one of the speakers suspended above the stage. An apt ending to an ear-drum-splitting, raucous night of live music.
(4/5)

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