 |
 |
| The Datsuns/The D4 Colchester Arts Centre 28.08.02 Amazingly the Datsuns open this show bottom of the bill, facing a bunch of doubters, but by the end of their stunning 25-minute set there isn’t anyone left who isn’t converted to their cause. From opener Fink For The Man onwards, every single song they play is perfect. Motherfucker From Hell, In Love and Super Gyration are so gorgeously simple and catchy that you can’t help but be sucked in. It’s the sound of 1960’s America through the minds of 4 New Zealanders who don’t know the meaning of the word irony. They even get away with pulling the craziest and most clichéd rock moves this side of Status Quo – seeing lead Datsun, Dolf D wind-milling his heart out to the climax of In Love is as exciting as anything you’ll see, as well as the stupidest. You can’t help but smile. There is an almost innocent zest to their music that only inspires more devotion. After their debut album comes out, venues this size wont be able to hold the Datsuns, yet again this is a band to truly fall in love with. The D4 already lose the battle the minute they walk onstage, to better what went before would be impossible, they can’t help but fail. Like their pretty good debut '6Twenty', they are pretty good live too. They are tight and they throw all the right moves, but unlike the Datsuns, its all seems a bit rehearsed, and well, they don’t seem to be enjoying themselves too much. However, with songs like 'Party' and 'RockNRoll Motherfucker' you’d have to be made of stone not to be moved, and like the Datsuns, this is music with no pretension or care for the zeitgeist. They play a perfect short punk rock set, but after the Datsuns raised the bar sky high, its just not quite good enough. Ally. |