CAZALS
HOXTON BAR & GRILL, HOXTON SQUARE
MAY 26, 2008
WORDS: AMY KNIGHT
A solid congregation of admirers watched eagerly and patiently at the launch party for What Of Our Future, their fixed eyes betraying an intense concentration as Cazals appeared on stage. There was little movement amongst the crowd; most people seemed too enraptured to even dance, immersing themselves in the sound as it seeped out as lucidly as the band's flowing hair. With the resurgence of the dystopian post-punk that has been infiltrating London recently, the East-end band could easily have slipped by unnoticed, but they seem to have captivated their niche audience. Kitsuné know how to purvey the bands of the future, and this performance affirmed their place in its realm; each song was poured out with perfect, successive ease, yet with the raw enthusiasm indicative of an up-and-coming band safe in the knowledge of a mainstream becoming. The components of their songs seem incongruous, comprising elements of indie, dance, post-punk and electro with an American emo tinge, yet work intrinsically well when combined; uncomplicated, anxiety-induced indie riffs accompanied by Phil's growling Anglo-American voice, stiffly emitting the post-modernist sentiments of Life Is Boring, which reflect somewhat upon the album's ominous title. Their performance of the new single Somebody, Somewhere and Poor Innocent Boys justified Cazals as being, allegedly, one of Britain's most forward new bands; their distinct sound manages to subtly transcend the boundaries of musical genres yet without appearing to try. Delivered with grubby vigour, the songs' carefully placed pauses and thrashing guitars enhanced the succinct lyrics that were positively spat out as Phil stooped and swayed on his sweat-dripping microphone stand. Sharp, assured, positive-thinking yet fatally flawed, with all the conviction of our future-aware youth, Cazals' own lyrics can be epitomised as the collective conscience of our zeitgeist; hopeless romantics with dirty minds.