The Longcut – Norwich Arts Centre

by Jo

22.7.06

My god, the hottest night in history, and we’re indoors. The massive stone walls of this former church are not providing a chill, they’re holding the heat in and multiplying it! It’s not too bad for starters, so we get in place for the first support. The Shadow Project, local lads.. I dunno what we were expecting, but certainly not instrumentals for the first two songs! Made us sit up and take note.. they’re certainly tuneful, unlike many bands with a technical bent, and they don’t sit about messing with knobs and switches, either. Energetic and eccentric, ambient in a rock way. Their ‘Voices’ EP is available online, and is selling out. They’re very good, and should go a long way. Hope so.

www.myspace.com/theshadowproject

Mumm-Ra were on next.. managed by the same peeps as the Kaiser Chiefs, apparently. They were coming out of soundcheck when we arrived, and were promptly accosted by an enthusiastic fan. The five from Bexhill-on-Sea met at school, and have been a band ever since they knew what one was. It all sounded pretty good, but I’m really sorry lads. The heat was just too much, and we had to have a breather.. missed some of the set. They were very popular, and no doubt will be back.

www.mumm-ra.com

By now I was drinking water. Can’t stand the stuff, but needs must.

Right, here we go. The Longcut. These boys are emphatically not from Manchester, they met there. They’re not in the ‘Manc sound’ pigeonhole, and don’t want to be labelled as anything, one feels. Everyone in the place is too hot to move, but suffer gladly, especially the band, who bravely entertain. This is deeper, rockier and has a dirtier sound than the other two bands, although the ambient tones complement those of The Shadow Project. if you like Loop, it’s like a harder version of that, and faster. I wondered how Stuart was going to manage drums and singing, but it goes surprisingly well, switching from one to the other with practised ease. Keyboards thrown in as well! It’s pretty loud, good fun, the band are tight, and if it weren’t so hot there’d be an impressive moshpit. You really should see this lot live before they outgrow these venues. They’re getting a shedload of attention.

Hot off the press:

“We have an online EP available on 21st August. The EP includes four tracks, Idiot Check, Vitamin C, Lonesome No More! and The Kiss Off, which were recorded at Airtight studios. Available for the bargain price of £1.50 from iTunes/ Napster or free if you’re on the mailing list.
Our next single is out in Oct, ‘A Tried and Tested Method’. More details about the release dates and b-side details will be sent soon.”

Off you go and have a listen then.

Setlist:

Vitamin C
Late Night Bus
Gravity and Crisis
Transition
Evil Dance
Lonesome No More
Tried and Tested
Quiet Life
Spires

www.thelongcut.com
www.myspace.com/thelongcut

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