Review by Northings
The Cinematics
21 Apr 2009 in Highland, Music
Mad Hatters, Inverness, 16 April 2009
The Cinematics
THE CINEMATICS, an “alternative rock” band from Dingwall, are currently touring the UK before the release of their new album. They stopped in Inverness to play at Mad Hatters, and considering the £6 door charge, the turnout was good.
The band opened well with ‘All These Things’, a new track off their upcoming album. The second song was also a new track, and also strong. Unfortunately ‘Keep Forgetting’, the third song of the set, was a totally forgettable track from their debut album, Strange Education. From this point on each song was indistinguishable from the next.
While Scott Rinning, the lead singer, performs well and obviously has a strong voice, he offers nothing special. And his Caleb Followill fashion sense is too much for me to take him seriously – I’m sure I’ve seen a Kings of Leon photo shoot with that exact same tight fitting flannelette shirt.
My self-confessed music geek friend was unimpressed with the bassist’s use of a plectrum (which I have since learnt is a synonym for pick [technically, it’s the other way round, plectrum being the proper name – your pedantic Ed.] and thumb rest. Even I, in my ignorance of most technical aspects of music, have a problem with this.
After seeing them live, I am surprised to learn that The Cinematics have opened for the Editors, Bloc Party and The Bravery. I’m even more surprised to learn that the two producers on their first album, Simon Barnicott and Stephen Hague, have worked with the Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Blur and the Kaiser Cheifs, to name a few. To put it bluntly, The Cinematics aren’t as alternative or rock as they should be. I’m more inclined to consider them pop rock.
But all of this is irrelevant in the setting of Mad Hatters, where what’s most important is if a band can make you dance. And in a near full house, I counted a total of zero sober and five inebriated dancers (myself not included).
The Cinematics are tight and confident, but mostly pretty average.
© Polly Hamilton, 2009
