ARAB STRAP + BIS + BRIGHT EYES
Shepherds Bush Empire 10th May 2001


On paper, perhaps this looks like a strange line-up, but Arab Strap and Bright Eyes share a love of alcohol and melancholic songs, and bis have recently remixed some of the Strap's tunes in their own 'eurodisco' way.
The venue is half empty when Bright Eyes come on, which is a shame cos this half hour set is the best I've seen them play. They were easily good enough to convert those people who hadn't heard them before. Songs from most of their releases are played - from the angst ridden 'Kathy With a K's Song' and 'Pull my Hair' to the uptempo (and now percussion dominated) 'The Calendar Hung Itself' and the catchy new single 'Drunk Kid Catholic'. An entertaining performance as ever, Conor getting as carried away as someone who is sitting down with an acoustic guitar can!
I wasn't really looking forward to Bis, as I've kind of lost track of their music, regarding their early stuff as too grating and believing every bad review I've read about their new material. Well, tonight bis are a complete surprise and a very pleasant one too. This new material seems to pick up where the likes of 'Social Dancing' left off, developing their infatuation with New Order style dane-pop. This is nearly as shocking as the fact that Sci-Fi Steven has lost a lot of his hair since I last saw them. Against all odds, 'Eurodisco' is one of the best things we hear all night. Not sure how well the Strap fans took to them, as the response was a little muted.
Not so when Aidan and the rest of them take the stage to a tape of Pharoah Munch's 'Simon Says' and deliver the first line from their 'Philophobia' album - 'It was the biggest cock you've ever seen, but you've no idea where that cock has been'. As good an opening as any! Indeed quite a lot from that album is featured early in the set, and only a few from the new 'Red Thread' are played. It's a fine show, they're on really good form, (not as pissed as previous times I've seen them) sounding a bit more minimal than their new material suggests. The slightly more dance-based material from 'Elephant Shoe' gets the most animated crowd response, and they slotted in a Bob Dylan cover too. Due to memory failure i can't put a name to it, but it was a pleasant surprise.
I've always said to fans of their records who have never wanted to go and see them, that Arab Strap are a better live band than you would actually think, tonight was further proof of that.