The Larkins, Deaf Institute. 11th June 2019

Now you’ll laugh at me criticising people’s dress sense, but the guy on stage is wearing pyjamas and half the teenage audience are wearing stuff I wouldn’t have been seen dead in back in 1985. I’m convinced someone in here must be wearing a United Colors of Benetton jumper. The Larkin’s though are rather good at pedalling swirling pop anthems that bounce and whip the kids into a rapture that threatens to dislodge The Deaf Institutes disco ball and bludgeon them all into one big baggy vintage T-shirted mess. The same can’t be said for support Cassius, who’s songs mostly sound like that crap jangly guitared Caribbean infused ditty that soundtracked the credits on every Tom Cruise film back in the 80s. I could almost taste the Bacardi... and I don’t like Bacardi. What they lack is clout, something Larkin’s have in spades. For songs so positive and breezy sounding, they don’t half pack a punch and need to be heard live... or blasted out of a car stereo on a summers day (not like today). Seriously though, I’m sure they’re pyjamas.