The Filthy Souls

Gig Reviews

Academy Unsigned 261
Academy 3
05/03/08

Having listened to The Filthy Souls’ myspace tracks, my expectations of this gig were pretty high. And for the most part they were fulfilled. The sharp, feisty lick and thumping drums of opening number ‘The Boys Will be out for a Fight’ had the crowd enthusiastically bopping along in an instant. ‘Shooting Stars’ was another winning one, boasting a great riff and crescendoing verses that stood out confidently. Elements of U2 prevailed in places, a nod to Kings of Leon was made in certain high lead guitar lines and heartfelt vocal sections, but essentially their own driving tone and ability to select influences without relying on them enabled them to come across as a unique group.
I couldn’t help thinking, however, that if the whole set had the impact of the two aforementioned tracks (as well as their strong end number) they could have gone up a level. Don’t get me wrong, the other tracks weren’t weak, but mostly didn’t make such a strong impression on the night as they did after I’d listened to the recorded versions a couple of times. Definitely a good performance though, and a group I’d go and watch again as I’m sure there’s more to come from them.

7/10 (and climbing)

Set list:

1. ‘The Boys Will Be Out For A Fight’
2. ‘Misery’
3. ‘I Cant Take You Back’
4. new track
5. ‘I’m Gonna Take You To My Show’
6. ‘Shake Your Shimmy’
7. ‘Shooting Stars’
8. ‘Love What You Do’

Polly