Does It Offend You, Yeah? + South Central @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, 21/10/08

Some lazy journalists would refer to the current musical climate, at least in terms of British Indie-dance crossover groups, as “post-new-rave”. Ridiculous as this sounds, it is almost true to say that gone are the day-glo colours, garish sirens and hideous large-print shirts. Gone is the faux retro noise barely hiding the post-modern Franz-Ferdinand art-rock beneath, and gone too, thankfully, are the kids reminiscing about a decade they viewed from the glint in their fathers’ eyes.

Instead what is left are bands like South Central, pure tunesmiths who manage the dance-rock balancing act to a fault by being a duo by day in the studio and a band at night on stage. This distinction gives them the edge in terms of a live show over such artists as Simian Mobile Disco or even Justice, both of whom South Central almost match musically, but with much more energy than watching two guys push play on their drum machines. Instead they bring an infectious energy that quickly spreads throughout the crowd, especially during their extended cover of slightly more recent rave classic, Josh Wink’s “HHHhHigher State Of Consciousness”, which caps an impressive, if unfamiliar, set to a close.

Does It Offend You, Yeah?, the band literally named after David Brentism, hit the stage soon after, and long before the crowd has a chance to recover from South Central, and begin a short set based largely from their eponymous debut. Even with a set featuring singles “Let’s Make Out” and “We Are Rockstars”, it’s soon clear that the band, shrouded in smoke and with lead singer James sitting near the back with a crocked leg, aren’t as energetic as they would usually be, and seem somewhat jaded with touring and promotion already. The crowd is yet to sense this, however, and are vociferous as ever in their request for their favourite band to play their favourite song, screaming as one for “Epic Last Song” as a suitable, if not necessarily apt, encore. After a hurried apology about “not doing that one live”, they instead treat the crowd to a slightly drowsy version of Devo’s classic “Whip It”. While the irony isn’t lost on some of the crowd, its still good enough to bring the night to a close.

South Central are touring throughout the UK and Europe and release the Owl Of Minerva EP on November 3rd. DIOYY?'s tour continues until the 30th in Leeds and is their last tour before working on their second album