On Night One of my three night London residency, I took in the whirling, jittery, good-natured pop goodness that is Swedish buzz act, Those Dancing Days. Combining the bright pop attitude of early Go-Gos with the tightly constructed rock of The Strokes, the five teenagers pulled together a fun set that never let-up and was done before I knew it.
The setlist:
- Falling In Fall
- 1000 Words
- Tasty Boy
- Keep Me in Your Pocket
- Hitten
- Home Sweet Home
- I Know Where You Live
- Run Run
- Space Hero Suits
- Those Dancing Days
Watching them perform live is liking eavesdropping on five kids who play for kicks, while everyone else is going to the mall. They make it look so easy, with each song clocking in between 3-4 minutes and packing in enough punch to keep your head bopping along. They play like experts, but they sound like they should, young and full of mixed emotions.
With Linnea Jönsson at the helm, you get to see her sometimes shy, other times giddy stage presence. It's unavoidable to not look at her big mop of her, flopping all over the place. The one kid who looked like she was having the most fun is keyboardist Lisa Pyk Wirström, who would make the perfect hype girl if she didn't have to play the organ.
What makes Those Dancing Days a band to watch is how they make catchy pop music that will get you moving easily without any fuss. They are exactly what they should be, kids having fun who want you to have fun. Songs like "Run Run," "Hitten" and "Home Sweet Home" have great drive and electricity. Sometimes all you need is a sweet organ line mixed with some simple guitar riffs to get your feet dancing.
The Days return to London on Oct. 21 to play King's College. Opening will be Lucky Soul, who just happen to be playing my show on the 24th at Joe's Pub. Look at that shameless plug.
It was my first time at Barfly in Camden Town, and since I've see the name in many publications, I figured it would be a decent size. Nope. I think it barely holds 150 people. I walked into the through front door and saw that there no stage. The bartender, who's probably use to seeing people react the same way, already was ready with the answer, "It's upstairs. Stairs are next to the bathroom." Of course, the bathroom!
The night was presented by XFM, so you had a T-RAG (Typical Radio Announcer Guy) introducing the acts. "Heeeeeyyy, everybody, I'm Brad from XFM. Let's hear it for the other acts ... I think these girls will be hot and we're playing them. HAZZAH!" Oh please, get off the stage dude. The other bands were nothing special, Screaming Tea Party and Casiokids. Snore.
Anyway, it's the smallest gig space I'd had been to .. until the next day at The Fly. So it's nothing remarkable, even though they have swirling logo lights between sets.
Comments