Hopper

Traditionally, the mere utterance of the phrase ‘super group’ has been enough to cause any sane individual to lunge frantically for the nearest available pair of industrial strength ear-plugs. Interesting then, that in recent times this most hackneyed of rawk concepts has been embraced by some of the most iconoclastic inhabitants of the indie margins.

In fairness though, the likes of Glasgow’s Reindeer Section came together more out of a genuine love and respect for each other’s music than anything else. And Hopper?

Comprised of erstwhile members of Turn, Bell X1, and Therapy?, it’s likely that the existence of this group can be attributed to feelings of mutual admiration similar to those among their Scottish counterparts, even if the results are decidedly more patchy.

One thing you can’t accuse Hopper of is lacking visual impact. Somewhere, naked members of The Knack must be looking for their wardrobe, since the uniform shirts, slacks, and skinny ties the band take to the stage in are straight from the ‘My Sharona’ school of fashion. Sadly, it transpires that there isn’t a nugget of pop genius comparable to that epic lurking in the Hopper repertoire.

Playing in front of a number of large video screens, which display footage seemingly culled entirely from the films of Akira Kurosawa, Hopper for the main part play it by the indie rulebook, rarely deviating from the serrated guitars/garbled vocals formula. When they do vary the dynamics a little bit, they can be amazing. ‘Sunny Days’ has a quiet, plaintive verse that eventually explodes into a truly electrifying chorus – sky scraping guitars and Graham Hopkins’ yearning voice to the fore. ‘Love Is Deaf’ is even better. It starts out with a shimmering guitar line over which Hopkins sings, “I’m gonna try and say the things which make it feel like we don’t have a problem.” The song eventually rises to a crescendo that actually recalls Blur in their more artfully obstreperous moments, like ‘Inertia’ or ‘1992’. Incredibly, the singer seems almost embarrassed by the tune afterwards. ‘It sounds like ‘Candle In The Wind’ or something,’ he murmurs. He probably shouldn’t be so dismissive, since the likes of ‘Seconds Out’ and ‘Buster’ are one note fumbles by comparison.

On tonight’s evidence Hopper just about cut it, but there is vast room for improvement.