NME Awards Tour

The NME tour bring in an eclectic mix of people, almost exclusively falling into the demographic of under 16 or over 40. As you might imagine on a Tuesday night, we didn’t have to queue to get to the bar.

First on the bill were Birmingham based band Peace. Inciting a mosh-pit at 7.20pm is no mean feat – my dinner was scarcely digested – however somehow they made it happen.

Considering the ridiculously early slot, they delighted an impressive crowd, rattling through songs from their recent EP and forthcoming album.

Next on the Rock City stage (as predicted by The Tab in October) were Palma Violets. It’s admirable that they approach each gig with the excitement of a litter of Labrador puppies – its just a shame that this manifested itself tonight in accidentally unplugging and breaking almost all of their equipment. Their set was unfortunately cut short as a result, but not before a rousing rendition of fans favourite, ‘Best of Friends’.

Miles Kane, heir apparent to Wiggo?

Miles Kane and his band took to the stage next with all the swagger of Reservoir Dogs, but with nicer suits and better haircuts. As the first genuinely able singer of the night, Miles Kane tore through his 2011 album Colour of the Trap in a performance which was probably worthy of the headline slot himself.

Perhaps reminiscent of a (very) young Paul Weller, Kane thrilled the crowd with a fast paced set culminating in a huge acapella sing along of hit single ‘Come Closer’.

From guitar driven bands, strange then that this gig was headlined by electronic outfit Django Django. It’s difficult to dance or mosh to Django Django, and for a crowd who had indulged the previous two and a half hours doing exactly that, this must have come as something of a disappointment. The only one to blame for that are NME for poor scheduling.

Django Django

However, Django Django ploughed through their eponymous Mercury Prize nominated album with great technical ability. Refreshing that they played most of the album, in a similar order to the release. The singles ‘Default’ and ‘Life’s a Beach’ were the closest the crowd got to the frenzy of any of the previous bands.

Ultimately a good night, hindered only by the billing. Highlight? Miles Kane by a country mile.

The Tab was all set to interview Django Django, however we were told that the boys eat dinner at 6pm, and that they couldn’t possibly answer any questions on a full stomach… Shame.