R*E*P*E*A*T Presents

Dude On A Mission, Corporation : Blend and Virgin Suicides, July 17th, Portland Arms.
By Holli(l)y

A last-minute acoustification for The Virgin Suicides meant that instead of a full-on punk onslaught the night opened with a mix of very worthy covers(This Is Yesterday stands out in the memory) and tracks from the forthcoming EP. And it became clear that though VS as a full band always appear to be more noise and anger than melody, underneath all that sound is a substance which can be transformed into an acoustic set of stripped-down tunes that reels you in and doesn't sound diminished at all. When I first heard that VS would be going acoustic for the night I was disappointed, and when they left the stage I didn't feel short-changed in the slightest - what
more recommendation could you ask for?

Corporation:Blend have a stronger sense of theatre than any other band I've seen; you can almost hear the swish of red velvet as the curtains pull back.
Noise-rock with wild guitars, wailing keyboard,thundering drums and a Muse-like rebounding emphasis to the vocals, all delivered with an attitude-laden dose of posing, jumping and glamour. Their sound has a distinctive edge, strong on both tunes and impact and with a Moulin Rouge-like grandeur, and it's presented at a satisfyingly loud volume. C:B give the impression of being a very self-aware band in the best of ways, of being fully aware of and invested in what they're doing and how they've chosen to do it, and that confidence manifests itself as a contagious sense of urgency and boundless energy which make for a live show that's something pretty special...

And finally, Dude on a Mission's funk-tinged rock which reminded me of a more expansive early Greenday, the timing a little wayward but heaven forbid they should let that put them off. It wasn't really my kinda thing musically but their ability to play to an audience is worthy of respect. Their set was saturated with crowd awareness - sing-along sections, massive riffs, the lead singer jumping into the crowd... a general sense of future arena-conquest, which is an impressive thing to pull off in a 150-capacity
back room.