Explode The TV
Thursday 8th August 2024
The Good Mixer, Camden, London
A humid evening at the Good Mixer, a stalwart of the Camden scene. The band Explode the TV take to what must be the smallest stage on the circuit. However, as an audience member, this means you feel part of the action. Bearing a passing resemblance to a latter-day Simon Le Bon, lead singer Bentley Browning launches in to the opening number 'We Live a life' with all the vocal stylings of Kevin Patterson out of Fiction Factory. This seems appropriate for a band that seemed to have come out of the New-Wave era of early 80s music. What sets them apart is their reliance on guitars rather than synthesizers, with the overall sound being shaped by the pedal effects of lead guitarist Max McDonald.
The second track, 'Found You in My Head Tonight', began with guitar staccato riffs and had a catchy Pop vibe, with the bassist Andi Skipsey providing harmonising vocals in the background. This leads into the title track of their upcoming album, 'Unbreakable', whose lyrics offer hope in times of crisis. The single is set to be released on Saturday 24th August. The group then showed their crowd-pleasing nature by performing a cover of David Bowie's 'Let's Dance', encouraging the audience to join in singing and dancing with the drummer Chris Krizz driving the groove.
'Everything Points to You' and 'London Prayer' had a jangly guitar sound reminiscent of the 80s group Flock of Seagulls, with the latter track allowing Bentley to showcase his drumming skills with wild abandon on a stand-alone drum. The show ended with 'Naked Eyes', which exuded early U2 atmospherics and an infectious danceable quality, perfectly capturing the mood of this ecstatic gig.
Ivan De Mello