COMANECHI
Beyond Retro, Cheshire Street, Tower Hamlets E2
Saturday 16th February, 3:00pm

Beyond Retro, eh? What necessarily is there in this, a warehouse packed to the gills with glorified charity shop wares and the odd delight that makes me regret all those years of eating little else than Wagon Wheels, that warrants such a bold claim of implied excess? Perhaps it could be the fact that it’s in a crumbling warehouse and is next to a nice pub. Naah, it’s because they invite bands to play matinees to distract you from staring lovingly at belts.

Comanechi were this week’s distraction with a seventeen minute set that would rip you right up, sunshine. Armed with temporary babyfaced drummer Adam (I think? Either way he was on for two minutes) their set was if anything gleefully shambolic and juvenile. But that’s what makes them so fun anyway - compare them to drumming yelpsmith Akiko’s other band PRE: if Comanechi are playing with a lighter and is wondering what kinds of mischief they could do with it, then PRE have already burnt down the school and raped three of their friends. Instead of laying on the noise to the point of asphyxiation they make you a bit light headed but you’re home for tea. (Leave the merch to shock you instead.)

Any band who can shriek like a maniac about their friend’s birthday party is going to be FUN ULTIMATE and yeah these guys are ULTIMATE FUN. Highlight was ‘Death Of You’ which seemed like the only song that didn’t last forty three seconds, but that’s just because guitarist Simon fell into the drumkit. Oh you guys. And they were off, leaving me to wander about aimlessly with a grin on my face.

Special mention to Transport for London: it’s nice that you’re throwing money at South London’s train network but do it in a parallel universe that doesn’t make me late for things, okay? The band are touring about Europe for a bit and then doing dates with The Gossip in March.

Comanechi ‘My Favourite Shoes’ (1.5MB, mp3) »

roman david