Who's going to do a Nights Out review for those of us who missed them then?

having not heard any of their music before (I liked the idea of them, and my mates were going). Rather enjoyed the whole thing. However, feedback from said mates was mixed; half seemed to really enjoy them, the other half were disappointed that the performance didn't match up to the more delicate sound of their albums.

maybe tongue in cheek re the reference to the beatles and sex pistols.

They are dad rock, can't see the kids being moved by them.

Charlene has some vocal dexterity!

I thought they were great, although the set could have been longer.

Agree about the lost subtlety, but close harmonies, loud guitars and thumping drums don't easily coexist.

Also the set was a bit one paced, surprising when you consider the variety of their recorded work.

As to whether they'll breakout in a big way, I've lost the ability to make that kind of judgement call, if indeed I ever had it.

Sadly I missed the support act, who sounds to have been good. And I missed the first two songs from the Silver Seas. In summary:

The Good
Daniel Tashian sang beautifully and seemed like a lovely bloke.
The rhythm section were great.
The songs are of uniformly high standard.

The Not So Good
Virtually no vocal harmonies - boo!
You could hardly hear Daniel's guitar for the most part, so I missed the beautiful chiming jangle of the records.
It was pretty short.

I'm glad I went. Not sure I'd go again on this basis. I'd love there to be another guitarist in concert, and to know the keyboard player was going to open his mouth occasionally and sing into that microphone in front of him.

We thought they were really good, considering the limitations of the four piece set up and that they were necessarily light on things like flunkies to prepare guitar changes etc. Venue was OK, we were pretty much at the front and the sound was perfectly good there, I can imagine it might not have been further back. All four of them were clearly more than competent on their instruments and the songs not on Chateau Revenge seemed up to the same standard (I'd only heard Country Life once before, on the day before's Danny Baker show).

The set was short, suited us as we had to get back to the wilds of North Essex to relieve the babysitter.

Only slight downer was the person Daniel was meant to dedicate Home and Dry to was my wife as it was her 40th birthday but he got mixed up and started talking to someone called Storm instead.

Will they be massive in three months - I doubt it. They deserve to be but if 6Music considers their single too mainstream to play I don't hold out much hope, for 6Music or for the Silver Seas large scale breakthrough.

If their 2012 tour - current sole date London on 6th March - includes Cambridge or Colchester Arts Centre I'll definitely see them again, even on a school night.

...as though the whole was less than the sum of its parts, and Daniel Tashian looked very much like a man in a band in search of a solo career. That might just have been the lighting though...

Massive in three months? No.

Kind of okay. A bit shambolic and not the band on the records. Baker and Hepworth clearly have a more refined radar for spotting greatness because I didn't get it from last night.

Agree with all the above. Good and bad.

Sadly, I can't see them making it big just yet.

It's the kind of music that could - and should - sell millions.

Chateau Revenge has the same potential mass appeal as something like By The Way.

I think the problem is that they lack a hook, or that dread phrase 'a narrative' that will capture people's imagination in the first place and get them the hearing they deserve.

it were a crucial showcase and in a way, that puzzled me. There are some undeniably influential people who have been championing this band for a while and without that, they would not have had the crowd or crowd enthusiasm they enjoyed last night.

There's a fine line between looking like you're not trying too hard and not trying hard enough and I think they missed it a bit. I think the next move might be a Daniel Tashian record rather than a Silver Seas one.

That said, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed seeing a band whose records we love.

.be

i had a grand ol time, thought the band were aces high, laughed at the skewed make up of the audience and generally thrilled at the buzz this outfit have generated. Wouldn't have missed it for the world.

But then I like a 'beefed up' live sound (see also Eels earlier this year) and the delicacy would probsbly have got lost in the hubbub (it was a bit noisy in the cheap seats).

Obviously they will not be The Next Big Thing, but they are a tight little unit with some good tunes and should be cherished.

Those suggesting a solo career beckons might just be right you know...

Oh and more generally, what a great night out with a whole bunch of lovely people. Thanks all.

Josh Rouse particularly 1972 and Nashville which to these ears are two of the best albums in last 10 years. Interestingly Daniel Tashian played in Josh's band and co-wrote some songs.
Having initially posted this thread good to see the expected mix of feedback. I agree with everything ie yes it didn't have the subtle dynamics of the albums but then to do that would require an expensive set of musicians which I guess was not feasible given the small nature of the gig - maybe next time . I could have done with the drums down a notch and the guitar up by about the same amount.
Also note Daniel has solo album out and on Spotify - slightly different kind of sound but broadly in same vein as the Seas

Will be at The Borderline on 6 March. Tickets just released

6 March - Borderline ?? Its not a very ambitious plan is it. I guess they have answered the question raised at the start of this thread ie will they be big in 3 months. I can only think that this is more of an ad-hoc project for them rather than a focussed career move.

the big time is assured!