Live
< The Metros at Club Fuzz, Sheffield
words by Chris Ebbs
Having signed to the now revered 1965 Records, and having toured with the success stories that are Jack Penate and label mates The View, there is a large amount of anticipation surrounding the debut single release and seismic tour that the Metros have embarked upon around many of Britain’s somewhat smaller venues. With a reputation for rowdy and ramshackle live shows the metros walk on to an audience expecting to see something special, something that will excite them and give reason to preach of how they’ve found the band that excites them as much as The Libertines first did.
Unfortunately they fail to live up to such reports and instead instill nothing but the continual disappoint that seems to come with every other band heralded as the predecessors to Pete and Carl. The main problem with the band is a lack of depth and seemingly longevity. Where they have the wit and entertainment on the surface this is soon lost within the first few songs.
Opening they fit seamlessly into that current Penate upstroke, upbeat feel (minus the pro dancing) with a touch of bouncing rhythm and cockney shouting counts for their backing vocals. The single ‘Education part 2’, along with ‘Last of the Lookers’ and ‘Talk About It’, provide nothing more than a distraction from the bar or a drunken talk to a friend. And anything else pleaded by the band becomes mere background noise to students who have seen pass their initial attraction.
There is no doubt that the Metros will appeal to those who like their London based witty lyrics and easily accessible tunes, but the real question will be whether they have the songs in them to be relevant in a years time or whether they will be fall by the waste side as a one album wonder like so many before them. Judging by tonight, the latter is where the smart money is.
Originally appeared in volume 1, issue 29 of Loud & Quiet magazine
