Haircut 100

The ludicrously extensive queue snaking its way down Brick Lane this chilly February evening suggests that something other than curry is on the menu here, and one look at the youthful throng indicates that that something is going to be very ‘cool’ indeed.

When I was at school, a ruler was for drawing straight lines or flicking people with. It seems nowadays its purpose is for the creation of the perfect angular hairstyle, and the vast majority of this sizeable crowd will not have dreamed of leaving home without the most important implement in their pencil cases. Franz Ferdinand have much to answer for. Enough about hair; this gang has gathered tonight for the London leg of Topshop’s Vice Live tour, a showcase of some of the most promising new talent around.

Kicking off are Ipso Facto, a Southend based all females four piece whose brand of post punk drone sends all but this reviewer into raptures. Whether it’s the music creating these raptures, or the teenage excitement at being out after 10pm, remains to be seen. But with support like this, Ipso Facto will go far.

Friendly Fires follow, and this young crowd are clearly still dining out on the fast dying concept of new rave, as even the straight lines on their heads are allowed to go jagged in the sweaty mass of bodies that 93 Feet East has become. The tunes are more discernible this time though, and the blend of disco and rave is one that should earn Friendly Fires a good degree of plaudits in 2008.

Black Kids round off Vice Live in style with their rhythm infused indie, which while allowing the fans a chance to reach for their rulers as the tempo cools a little, provides the comfortable highlight of the evening. This lot could be very big this year, and are capable of hitting the festivals in style.

Credit to Topshop for providing a thousand or so kids with a reason not to roam the streets of a Friday night, and credit to the bands for entertaining them. Some big futures have been made or broken by nights like this, and these bands will be fully aware of that.