The Walkmen – Islington Academy, London 25/08/2010

30 August 2010, 11:00 | Written by Adam Elmahdi

(Live)

Bands today are far too young. Having recently crossed the boundary from “early twenties” to “decrepit” it’s frankly depressing to watch these kids come along with their enthusiasm and vitality and achieve more artistically in thirty minutes than I have in my life to date. Avi Buffalo are a case in point: they look about twelve, yet have the professionalism and talent to put a band thrice their age to shame. Hailing from California, they’ve got that West Coast vibe almost every band from that state’s obliged to appropriate, but unlike many of their contemporaries there’s more to them than laid-back wooziness. Yeah, there’s times where they sound a bit like Real Estate (with a dash of Department of Eagles), but they’re able to shift into Wilco-esque alt-country territory with ease. By the end of their set, they’re unleashing ferocious squalls of noise with impunity. That they’re able to segue between styles with such confidence and elan is to their immense credit, especially as they’ve had to make do without their (recently-departed) keyboardist, and one suspects that it won’t be long until Avi Buffalo are headlining venues of this size in their own right.

Needless to say, The Walkmen had a lot to live up to. Like The National, they’re a band that on paper shouldn’t impress as much as they do. Apart from the emotional intensity of their respective vocalists there’s little that immediately suggests they will deliver a particularly memorable experience. Then again, Hamilton’s Leithauser’s anguished howl truly is spectacular- similar to Dan Boeckner’s, its sheer rock ‘n roll rawness is electrifying to behold. One can only imagine what his vocals chords must feel like the next morning – I suspect swallowing a cheese-grater dipped in acid would be a walk in the park in comparison. Whilst the rest of the band offer little in the way of instrumental razzmatazz, they’re excellent at what they do (the upright piano during ‘In The New Year’ was particularly effective) and while they naturally focus on new album Lisbon, there’s still ample room for ‘The Rat’. It’s rare nowadays for guitar-centric indie rock to hold my attention, but The Walkmen are exceptional in their field – a band even greater than the sum of their already impressive parts. And, pleasingly, a lot older than I am. HA.