london concert review - well worth a record deal

the morning star

by alex reid
october 27, 2001

The Trash Can Sinatras could never be accused of being the most prolific of bands - a paltry, but excellent, three albums in 15 years bearing this out.

But an absence from the capital of five years is a ridiculously long period away when they attract such an adoring and loyal following.

So it was an excited and - because of this inactivity - rather apprehensive crowd which turned up for the first of a two-night sell-out stint at the King's Cross Water Rats (October 18).

They were not to be disappointed.

Kicking off with one of around half a dozen new songs, Welcome Back again highlights the classic guitar pop of this always brilliantly crafted and mind-numbingly underrated band.

And then bursting straight into an emotion-filled version of The Main Attraction from their last release in 1996, A Happy Pocket, we are reminded that the Trash Can Sinatras are experts in transforming the simple into the sublime, such is the change in tempo midway through this song.

This mix of the old and new continues with the likes of the haunting January's Little Joke from their debut Cake, the gem of a title track from the follow-up I've Seen Everything and the yet-to-be released Leave Me Alone, Got Carried Away and the sublime What Women Do To Men.

The whoops of delight throughout provides both the band and the rest of us with the impression that this crowd are as ready to hear their new material as much as they relish a trawl through the back catalogue.

Far from their talent or enthusiasm waning over the years, the Trash Can Sinatras prove that they are as fresh and original as they were when their first single Obscurity Knocks was released in 1989.

Their refusal to compromise for commercial gain sees them now without a recording contract, but, on this night‚s evidence, it shouldn't be too long before Ayrshire's finest cut another disc.

Originally appeared in the Morning Star.