We Were Promised Jetpacks - Bronz -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Oct 10 2010

Bronze - While I wish this ex-Detachment Kit band had chosen a more google-friendly name, they indeed can be found on-line as well as in the opening slot tonight of this heavily attended show. They line up with drums, keyboards, two guitars and a percussionist. A bass is brought out often and the lead guitarist and keyboardist switch around a bit with it. The other guitarist sings atop the lush pop music they create. On the downside, I thought the double percussion attack did not have a lot of interplay and really did not sound as if there was more than a decent drummer. The vocals had that strained modern pop style that can be a bit off-putting at times. But as time wore on, I saw the positives out weigh the negatives. The keyboards led the way, although the guitar sounds were smartly woven into the sound where you were getting a full sonic thrust and not hearing a lot of individual parts. They did have some good hooks and moved a few of their songs along at a good pace with a good rock feel to the pop songs. The last cut sounded like early Roxy Music and rocked out pretty hard. I think there is some potential here and the almost full club had a nice time.


We Were Promised Jetpacks - Nicely named band had my mind wandering of all the other promises of my youth unfulfilled like moon or Mars colonies. We did get the wristwatch picture phones, although they are not worn on the wrist of course. And the internet is kind of cool if not fully realized in old sci-fi movies. Anyway, this is a two-guitar four-piece from Edinburgh, Scotland--one of the finest cities in the world. And this young band is one of the finest UK-style power-pop bands out there. I say UK, as they had more of a dance style than a garage power-pop style, although gutsy post-punk moves give them their own take on things. One guitarist sings with the drummer providing a few back-up vocals. And where desired, the now sold-out or nearly sold-crowd was singing some of the parts without prompting. That always indicates a successful show and it really only got better as it went on. Pulsating rhythms, post-punk guitar moves, killer hooks, this band hit it on many levels. The songs were smartly written and although very pop oriented, they just did not seem to fall into the 1-2-3-4 mode. Their set had song after song that all worked the crowd up into a throbbing happy group. The band seemed pretty clever with the stage patter I could hear and it really was a nice positive atmosphere. Yet one more band to add to my list of "regulars" who I will see on future tours.

Quote of the Day: While eating in Chinatown a take-out customer gushed... "What a beautiful lady. Here's the beautiful lady... and another beautiful lady working with the beautiful lady. Thank-you so much. You're a beautiful lady. Beautiful ladies..."