There's a disappointing turnout in Crawdaddy for the appearance of These New Puritans, one of the best and brightest new bands of 2008. This proves to be a real shame, as the four-piece treat us to a cracking show of taut electro-rock that’s deserving of a capacity crowd.
The band take to the stage late, and although no reason is given for their tardiness, it could well be due to Arsenal’s Champions League game with AC Milan, given that frontman Jack Barnett is a Gooners fan. An early highlight is ‘Numerology AKA Numbers’, an eerily brilliant tune which highlights the group’s fascination with magick and the occult. This fixation on cultural esoterica places These New Puritans in a classic tradition of English outsiders such as Alan Moore and Coil, and generally makes them a good deal more interesting than the average indie outfit.
It also helps that the band have a definite onstage chemistry. Jack performs with a quiet intensity that’s never less than compelling, whilst his drummer brother George and hooded bassist Thomas Hein are an impressively dynamic rhythm section. The rather beautiful Sophie Sleigh-Johnson, meanwhile, has a statuesque stage presence that harks back to the almost comical austerity of Suede keyboardist Neil Codling.
Elsewhere in the set, ‘Elvis’ is a pristine slice of pop excellence and ‘En Papier’ enraptures with its hypnotic groove. Then, with startling suddenness (barely 40 minutes have elapsed since the performance commenced), the band bid us goodnight and bring the curtain down on proceedings with a final blast of angular art-punk. After a short and sharp evening’s entertainment, These New Puritans have left us impressed, intrigued and – wisely, perhaps – hungry for more.