The Courettes: the Loft, Portsmouth – ‘first date of the tour’ live review

The Courettes: the Loft, Portsmouth – ‘first date of the tour’ live review

Garage two-some start off as they mean to go on…. on fire, says Ged Babey fanning the flames.

Style and energy.  That is it. And great songs.

They look cool and they put every ounce of energy and stamina into what they do.

The Courettes are THE Garage band of the moment. Numerous glowing reviews of the new LP ‘Back To Mono’ following the back catalogue re-issue on Damaged Goods and now this extensive tour means they are in the papers, mags and blogs.  To the cynics this is ‘hype’, seen-it-all-before scenesters mutter about the Headcoatees and Shonen Knife, but it doesn’t take long before the sheer velocity and vivaciousness of the Courettes live, here and now, is all that matters.

You soon forget that it’s just drums and one guitar because the sound and the personality is so big.

Flavia is a charismatic livewire and Martin a stupendous all-round-the-kit drummer. They sound like Gene Krupa jamming with the Shangri-La’s and the Sonics at the same time.

My first visit to The Loft in Southsea and it’s a great venue. Promoter Chris Abbott grinning like a Cheshire cat, having waited two years to bring the Courettes to Pompey.

Ex-Mild Mannered Janitors combo Thee Lonely Hearts made their live debut as support. Subtle, tuneful Merseybeat meets Medway type stuff from Lymphany and Hutchinson and friends.

But everyone was there for the headliners. And they rocked, And rolled. And they sweated.

Johnny Thunders would have loved them.  That tuff chick Girl Group sound and a dirty rock’n’roll groove. Forget the White Stripes and the Black Keys, this is authentic garage punk.

Duo’s are the future of rock’n’roll too.  AlterModerns (like Flavia, also Brazillian) , Snakerattlers and now yet another married couple dynamic duo.

Live onstage the Courettes are a lot grittier than on the, glossy by comparison, new album. From the amount of energy expended by the band and amount of love and appreciation fed back by the audience, this really does look like be one of the hottest tours currently being undertaken.

Oh and once you think it, or say it, it’s very hard not to call them The Courgettes – so don’t even think it.

Rest of the tour dates….

Sat 16 Bristol, Crofters Room 2
Sun 17 Norwich Norwich Arts Centre
Mon 18 Folkestone, The Chambers
Tues 19 London The Lexington
Wed 20 Bedford, Esquires
Thur 21 Hastings The Piper
Fri 22 Sheffield Yellow Arch Studios
Sat 23 Middlesbrough Westgarth Social Club
Sun 24 Hull Adelphi
Mon 25 Newcastle The Cluny
Tues 26 Manchester Night N Day
Wed 27 Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms Speakeasy
Thu 28 Glasgow Mono
Fri 29 Halifax, The Grayston Unity
Sat 30 Brighton The Albert
Sun 31 Cardiff The Moon

Tickets for all shows are on sale here.

The Courettes are on Facebook and Twitter and have a Website

All words Ged Babey

Photos by Michele Paul. 

Source: louderthanwar.com