Napoleon IIIrd – KOKO, London 20/03/09

27 March 2009, 21:16 | Written by Peter Bloxham

(Live)

Yorkshire based soloist James Mabbett a.k.a Napoleon IIIrd pumps the auditorium full of his energetic loops and riffs, sneaking up on the audience and pounding them with a nimble performance of his particular brand of off-kilter alternative pop. He takes to the stage and immediately sets about winning hearts with a compellingly enthusiastic and involved performance.

He keeps himself busy – switching guitars, looping vocals, moving from keyboard to organ to trumpet and back again. The stage is littered with instruments and nameless pieces of techie gear, including his now almost trademark vintage reel-to-reel player. There’s an attention to detail in the compositions and an organized urgency to the performance, reassurance that the onstage clutter isn’t just here to look good – imaginative use is made of the varied resources. He paces about throwing together big, impressive melodies during his hookier numbers and folding rich layers of sound into some of his swirling soundscapes. He keeps up a sportsman’s’ pace through an original set, working hard and seemingly having an awful lot of fun in the process.