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Thursday, January 22, 2004 Kick Out the Jams
They Walk Among Us at the Double Down, Jan. 16 Buzzed-about indie rock bands don't always include Las Vegas on their West Coast tour schedules, so it seemed worthwhile to pay a visit to our own "Happiest Place on Earth" to catch They Walk Among Us, a pop group from Wales whose music has been compared to Blur, Radiohead and Coldplay. The band turned out to be completely competent and occasionally catchy, but totally devoid of the experimentation and intense emotional output that characterizes those groups. Lead singer and guitarist Richard Proctor followed each song with a polite "cheers," mentioned his fellow Welshman, Tom Jones, was also playing Vegas that night, and expressed his band's gratitude for its first-ever opportunity to play a "24-hour pub." But the reaction was lukewarm at best, as the normally raucous Double Down crowd seemed to be lulled to sleep by the more droning than driving guitar and keyboard sound that each song was built on. They Walk Among Us is closer to a Britpop version of Matchbox Twenty than to any of its aforementioned influences. The songs were tight and occasionally atmospheric, thanks to the keyboards and computer loops contributed by Gareth Clark, who was wedged into a corner behind stacks of gear. I'll give them points for being well put together--They Walk Among Us crammed more equipment into the Double Down than any other band I've ever seen there. But it's possible that all this extra slickness--the band's album, released in December, was co-produced by former members of Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals--would sound great on the radio but removes any raw edge the band might have live. Don't get me wrong; Proctor, Gareth, bassist Dean Roach, guitarist Paul White and drummer Steven Roberts all seemed to be great players. Proctor had an earnest croon, and White offered some sweet harmonies to complement some catchy pop melodies. But you've heard it all before, and it was all a little too safe for a Friday night at the Double Down.--Brock Radke They Walk Among Us at the Double Down. |
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