Lightspeed Champion – Cardiff Barfly 07/02/08

11 February 2008, 08:00 | Written by Amy Pay

(Live)

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Photographs by Jacob Saunders. Taken in Oxford, 4th Feburary ’08.

Like an over-spilling matchbox, Cardiff Barfly was packed to the brim for last night’s sold out Lightspeed Champion gig – a claustrophobic’s nightmare. Ranging from old Test Icicle fans to people not even old enough to remember them, Dev Hynes, a.k.a. Lightspeed Champion, certainly seems to have won a place in many people’s music collection despite his change in musical direction.

First up were Tournaments, a five-piece band hailing from South Wales. From only a handful of songs, their cheerful powerpop-rock aura, teamed with the occasional yelling/instrument bashing, created an Arcade Fire-like sound eruption much to the crowd’s delight – not bad at all considering the band consisted of the usual guitars/bass/drums line-up, with the added violinist for a jolt of sparkle.

Semifinalists were next to squeeze onto the tiny, cramped stage. With Dev Hynes taking the role of bass player, two peculiar blokes angularly danced their way through high-pitched seeping vocals and chunky electric guitar growls. Think Silversun Pickups chucked in a blender with Mew’s modulations, an animated Mr. Motivator and stripy polo-neck jumpers and you are sort-of on the right track.

Lastly, headliner Lightspeed Champion, accompanied by a highly skilled, full backing band, blasted through a dazzling set. Mixing both tracks off the current album, Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, with new unreleased material earmarked for the next album and old demos, Dev Hynes had the entire crowd at his command, catching every eye in the house with smiles and sing-alongs to match.

The set opened with new song, ‘Shacklewell (Prostitute Song)’. The imaginatively titled tune boasted twangy outbursts from Hynes’ electric guitar, contrasted with melting harmonies from the backing violinist. It seems as though, from the upbeat snippets of the new material previewed, (the other newbie being an even more charmingly titled ‘F*** Suck’), that Lightspeed Champion is heading for a more crunchy, gritty, plugged-in sound than his current acoustic twinklings. Despite this, the charm of Hynes’ narrative, honest lyrics still beamed through.

Hynes ploughed through a vast array of fan favourites off his latest release, including an echoing version of ‘Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk’ and the perfect pizzicato pluckery of ‘Devil Tricks For A Bitch’. A scorching performance of ‘Galaxy Of The Lost’ led the whole crowd to dust off their vocal chords, including impromptu hum-alongs to the violin and guitar lines. It seemed as though there wasn’t a single member of the audience who could resist singing or dancing in some shape or form to the beautifully crafted gems in-between laughing at Hynes’ charismatic banter. Even in rarities such as ‘Stay The F*** Away From Me’, Lightspeed Champion found his lulls accompanied by those of his loyal fans.

Ending on a lengthened rendition of recently released single, ‘Midnight Surprise’, Lightspeed Champion’s night came to a close on a high. Dev Hynes has certainly proved that, even over three years after his neon Test Icicles days, he still has it in him to produce top-class music and light up the night with technicolour.