Live experiences for some bands should be subject to a best before date. With garage rock bands like The Strange Boys, catching them whilst they are still raw and fresh is the key; and intimate venues such as this 350-capacity Institute Of Contemporary Arts should have proven a glove-like fit for their riotous take on the early Stones sound. Yet, as the band themselves were the first to note, something 'felt weird' here. What that something was, regrettably, was not that we were on the apex of anarchy; but rather the inexplicable tepidity of some of the crowd. Doubtless receivers of courtesy tickets as art gallery members, many seemed intent on being 'scene' and seen; and breathing in the rarefied air of their own airs instead of getting drenched in the sweat of dirty blues rock. It must have utterly bemused the back-to-basics Texans, who looked desperate to be set loose by their audience.
No fault can be squared at the band though. In fact, they were fantastic. Frontman Sambol's attempts to shake life into the pockets of posers included wailing like some higher pitched Howlin' Wolf, spunking the band's 'Be Brave' bullet refreshingly early, and letting yours truly take the mic for backing vocals on 'Should Have Shot Paul'. They played setlistless, threw themselves head on into every song, and even responded admirably to the increasingly asinine shouts of 'chickens' or 'ice cream sandwiches' from the crowd. There is no doubt the Strange Boys deserved a better and more understanding audience than they got here. Indeed, towards the end- amidst all the song suggestions and bizarre food references thrown at the band- it was the 'genocide to all art students' cry from someone that Sambol seemed most inclined to echo back. 7/10
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