Tuesday 7 April 2009

The Hot Toddies @ Portsmouth Edge Of The Wedge

“We’re having a great time in the UK, getting drunk every night and waking up with jet lag every morning,” announce The Hot Toddies on the third night on their UK tour at the Edge Of The Wedge in Portsmouth. Crammed into a tiny corner of the bar, The Hot Toddies bring a simple but charming low-fi aesthetic to their live show, with set lists written on paper towels, uncluttered bunny eared drumming and all girl vocal harmonies. Unfortunately due to some technical problems the bands sound is not always as good as it could be, with their funny lyrics sometimes lost in the mix. This doesn’t seem to detract from their syrupy indie surf tunes bringing a smile to the small audience. The group seem to want more though. “Nobody dances in England. Does anybody know how to break dance ?” they laugh. It's a pity that nobody volunteers for a display of top rock, down rock, power moves and freezes. The b-boys are not in the house tonight.

So it’s left to the girls to bang out their retro, summery sounding guitar pop with numbers such as the comically titled Wet Dream where the group conclude that oranges are better than tangerines and set closer Surf Song which grooves like a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. With tunes about pirates, cooking and sex, all set against a backdrop of retro sounding jangly guitars the band have a relaxed approach that makes the gig akin to watching a friends band perform in your front room.

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