7th February 07 - Air Traffic and Snow Fight In The City Centre at The Lamp By Michelle Dee Photographs by Julia Grant

Photograph Gallery   Snow Fight Gallery,   Air Traffic Gallery .

It's cold, wet and windy there's sharks on the TV but there's two new bands at The Lamp in Hull. Sadly Ghosts cancelled last minute so that leaves us with the shimmering Indie sounds of Manchester's Snowfight In The City Centre and headliners Air Traffic, the piano soaked Indie band it's okay to like. The former a six piece from Manchester catch the eye with Rake-ish riffs and all the quiet confidence of a band that knows where it's going. Pretty melodies paint the party culture and bring forth keys and harmonising vocals cascading over each other. Third song in Listen features a second tom-tom that builds with explosive energy.

Empty Bottles, a brooding slow-burner, appeals to the party animal in us all, depicting the all too familiar Sunday morning hangover. Starting kind of dreamy, the startling high pitched vocals and guitar send a wake up call to the Lamp crowd.

The strong vocals keep you interested along with glinting metallic effects that break through the underlying keys. Look out for the single Six Seconds out on March the 5th with its heavy helpings of eerie twingling, bold inviting vocals and sublime harmonies. The finale, once again, showcased the harmonies to great effect.

Highly hypnotic, repetitive guitar sequences handled with the lightest of touch, overlap the euphoric iLT keys that flirt epically like a sonic union of Leeds band Vib Gyor and Exit Calm. All the while you anticipate the big finish that you know is going to induce fits of rapture.

So why is it okay to like, the piano soaked Indie high fliers Air Traffic from Bournemouth? Well they have two extra toms for a start, jazzy piano's, they've been on Jools Holland, supported Snow Patrol, oh and there's the little matter of signing to EMI. The bass laden opener I Like That with full melodies plays out and the shiny faced revellers down the front shout and cheer. Guitar shivers and melodic piano trills accompany the full vocal delivery. For the songs without piano you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a different band such as on the jangling New Guitar. Left Out In The Rain follows with driving rhythms, pulsating piano and animated performance from Chris sat on a packing case rocking wildly.

The double toms sound shows invention and explosive drama ensues stage left and right. Ethereal keys sway centre stage finally segueing smoothly back to the full band sound. Passionate. Eagerly awaited single Charlotte out on the 26th March comes over short and sweet maybe too short, with clipped chords shifting voicing and abrupt finish. I question whether it's the right single choice and whether it's enough for the kids to pick up on.

Just Abuse Me is the best song of the set; with all those jazzy piano trills, dynamic guitars. Excited? You bet. www.myspace.com/airtraffic www.myspace.com/snowfightinthecitycentre

Photographs courtesy and Copyright ©  Julia Grant 2007

Photograph Gallery   Snow Fight Gallery,   Air Traffic Gallery .

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