Blaenavon... far removed from a sleepy town in South East Wales
Blaenavon, I'm reliably informed by internet search engine maps, is a town in south east Wales with a coal pit museum. It's also the name of one of the most exciting new indie bands from Hampshire in the last couple of years.
Blaeners for short, legend has it that this awesome threesome happened upon their name upon a T-shirt in a bag of hand-me-down clothing and it immediately appealed to their scanty Welsh heritage.
Looking a lot like three dudes that I went to sixth form in the '90s, and sounding like they really mean it, Blaenavon give a performance that's filled with dreamy melodies interspersed with purposeful drumming.
Set opener 'Hell is my head' with its insistent drum beat, little plinky plonk refrain and a beautiful angst filled voice overlaying it all, grabs my attention from the start. For a very young band, they look surprisingly as if they were born to play here tonight, and they look as if it all comes as naturally as breathing to them. I don't think they've mis-spent any part of their youth so far to get to this point.
With mid-set tune 'Into the Night' things are definitely a touch reminiscent of Foals kind of rhythms and this one dances up and down on some kind of magical musical staircase. There's an air of admiration amongst the crowd and this song acts as a powerful magnet, drawing plenty of people in from the bar at the back.
'Prague' is another lively mix of husky tormented vocals with fast furious beats that come piling through at top speed. The crowd's admiration turns into a slight sense of awe and wonder down on the dance floor at Koko, these three teenagers have truly delivered. Definitely ones to watch in 2016.
