Amazing Baby: The Lexington
With all the hype surrounding the Brooklyn bred influx of bands right now, think the Vivian Girls, Boy Crisis, Chairlift etc, there is a lot riding on coming over to the UK and unleashing their sounds on our formidably discerning eardrums. Nonetheless, Amazing Baby exhibited more than enough chutzpah and spine tingling brilliance to make them worthy of such hype, whilst giving us an insight into their boundless potential. Could this be the band most likely to push MGMT off their self proclaimed pedestal?
Despite playing at the newly refurbished Lexington on a Monday night in pissing down weather, they drew a crowd full of A&R reps, journo’s, scene chasers and fans, all clamoring for a look at who is set to be at the top of everyone’s ‘ones to watch’ lists for 2009.
With support from Ozzie indie boys, Mercy Arms and the achingly cool yet sublimely captivating Striken City, Amazing Baby showcased 30 minutes of their soon to be released tunes, including likely melodic anthem ‘Head Dress’ and the gloriously psyche-rock throb of ‘The Narwhal’, whilst working their audience and stage like the pro’s they are not…yet.
Fusing together a plethora of sounds from the realms of prog, punk, pop and psych-rock, Amazing Baby’s mash up is so intricately detailed, it stands alone with coherence from many of their fellow New York cohorts, yet on stage translating into epic proportions, albeit a little more raw without the studio wizardry they impart on their recordings.
Frontman Will Roan is deliciously sexy with his deliberate enticing stage presence, sporadically swinging his mic around like an ageing 70’s rocker, (Andrew VanWyngarden eat your heart out!) Alongside Will and the rotating cast of backing band players was guitarist Simon O’Connor, who played as though entranced by the music they were making from behind his long lank locks……or maybe that was just the acid? Whatever, together they filled the stage and the venue so superbly with their musicality and persona that all the hype and praise heaped upon this fledgling band, together a mere 11 months, was seemingly justified.
Their self produced EP ‘Invisible Fucking Cross’ is available to download for free on their MySpace, they are supporting Wesleyan University mates MGMT and the majors are fighting to sign them, if it’s the last thing you do this year have a listen…fucking amazing, baby.
Review by Francesca Strange
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