Death Cab For Cutie – Electric Ballroom, London 06/05/08

Last minute gigs are always the best aren’t they? Especially when the gig in question sold out in like 10 seconds or something and is Death Cab For Cutie’s only UK show until July. Whilst on my daily jaunt to Tesco yesterday lunch time I received a text message from a friend of mine. “Yo. U are on tha list for dcfc tonite if u want”. Hmmmmm… let me think about that for a second. I’m 120 miles away from London and it’s going to cost me about 35 quid to get there….And, I’m totally skint. Sod it. It’s Death Cab! Get in. I love DCFC quite a bit see. This very site is named after one of their tracks don’t you know, so turning down the chance to see them at such an intimate venue as Camden’s Electric Ballroom would be rather silly of me wouldn’t it?

Arriving at London two hours before show time, I popped into The Cock on Great Portland Street for a catch up with an old friend. I feel I should mention this particular detail purely for the fact that its the cheapest pub I’ve ever been in. Seriously – £1.70 for a pint of lager. Now that, my friends, is a bargain.

Anyway, back to business. The Electric Ballroom was heaving by the time I made it to the venue. Full of the usual suspects you’re likely to see at a Death Cab gig. Seth Cohen look-a-likes (he’s from The OC btw, just in case you’re over the age of 26) and people who look like Goths but with indie haircuts and slightly better fashion sense. I think they’re called Emos. I squeezed down the front to catch the last couple of songs from Clearlake. I’ve never liked them so didn’t pay much attention to them. Standard indie rock fayre. Rather forgettable.

Death Cab arrive on stage at 9 on the dot. Blasting out a polished and faithful version of ‘Bixby Canyon Bridge’ from the new album Narrow Stairs – the band are as tight as a mouses ear and Ben Gibbard is in fine, fine voice and looking rather fetching in his trademark chequered shirt. ‘The New Year’ is next – and again, totally faithful to the album version. Which, it has to be said, is my only gripe with the live DCFC. They are so polished, and so tight that if you close your eyes – you could just be sitting at home listening to the album. When I see a band, I like to see some spontaneity, some rawness – which Death Cab lack slightly on the live front.

Luckily though, they made up for it with a sterling and filler-less greatest hits set. ‘A Movie Script Ending’ was beautiful, ‘Soul Meets Body’ was greeted by the audience with rapture and a rather moving reading of ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’. Which even had that Get Cape Wear Cape Fly fella singing along at the bar. Bless him. You just want to run up to him and squeeze his cheeks don’t you? No? Oh ok, just me then.

Around six songs were showcased from the new record. Unsurprisingly, it was current single ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ which was greeted with the biggest cheer. It sounded great too, especially with Nick Harmer’s brooding bass line taking centre stage. Certainly a highlight of the evening. ‘Long Division’ rocked even harder than it does on record, a future hit single in the making for sure. The albums most average moment ‘Talking Bird’ didn’t fair any better in a live setting though.

Of course, a DCFC gig wouldnt be a DCFC gig without the classic set closer (and my personal favourite) ‘Transatlantiscm’. “I need you so much closer “, such a simple lyric but one that never fails to make the hairs down the back of my neck stand to attention. Even thinking about it now, I can feel my bottom lip quivering.

Death Cab For Cutie release Narrow Stairs on May 12th via Atlantic, with a full UK tour and an appearance at the Latitude festival in July.

[Download Narrow Stairs]