The Futureheads, Panama Kings

Island Arts Centre, Lisburn

Between chaos and pattern, between love and ‘fuck you’, between alt-rock guitars and dance rhythms, between post-this and post-that lies the domain of the Panama Kings. It is a realm they rule with absolute authority, tonight’s performance seeing them unfurl a regal procession of almighty tunes. The quartet further asserts their authority by letting loose a triple whammy of impressive new numbers. If any doubters remain they are soon hammered into submission by a pulverising rendition of mclusky’s ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’.

Of one new song, gloriously grumpy frontman Niall Kennedy announces, “I hope you enjoyed that, because I fucking didn’t.” Still, for the audience, this show serves notice of the unbridled potential of the Panama Kings. The vocal fixes your attention like nails dragged across skin, the guitars contort acrobatically, the bass is lithe as a ballerina and the drums are machine-precise and powerful. Songs such as ‘Your Children Are Screaming’ and ‘Toe The Party Line’ swarm with dramatic presence, taut nervousness and outrageous swagger. You don’t have to break your brain to realise the Panama Kings are a band of rare ability.

The Futureheads provide for an equally delirious though somewhat different spectacle. In boisterous spirits, Sunderland’s favourite musical sons race though an adrenaline-pumped set. Their energy-worshipping post-punk guitar frenzy and tumbling rhythms are brought to bear on ‘Beginning Of The Twist’, the four-piece battering and bruising it. ‘Decent Days And Nights’ is a body slam of percussive power and synchronised holler. Then of course there is ‘Hounds Of Love’, the ‘Heads let off the leash, running the Kate Bush classic ragged, guitars biting and vocals snapping with cuckoo clock exactness.

They also do a nice line in ensemble comedy, bouncing off each other like bumper cars, one minute admonishing the audience member who pelts them with Maltesers, the next urging us to join them in imitating a seagull, “an evil seagull who’s trying to nick your sandwiches,” specifies Ross Millard. Alongside a run-through of much of recent album This Is Not The World, they greedily pluck the creamiest pearls from their back catalogue. ‘Skip To The End’ thrashes and foams at the mouth, a bundle of kinetic restlessness, while ‘Man Ray’ is full of blinding guitar flash. As they get ready for the final song, frontman Barry Hyde pleads with drumming brother Dave to “make it quick, I’m dying for a pee.” That he dutifully does, the band whizzing to the close of a performance that will long linger in the memory. Francis Jones

Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.