Ordinary Boys - Islington Academy, London - Tuesday 9th August 2005

This was a free gig, open to competition winners only, recorded for broadcast on XFM Live. The Ordinary Boys first album was a great collection of indie-pop songs, most of which are well crafted, punchy tunes. Having said that, I was less impressed by their new single - they seemed to be turning into Madness!
They were supported by the Mitchell Brothers, good mates with Mike Skinner, who were extremely Streets-esque, but then I guess you'd expect that really!

The Ordinary Boys played all that one would expect - about 2/3 of their first album, and about 2/3 of their second. I loved all the songs from their first album, and most from the new one (apart from that irritating single!). However, I wonder if the trick may wear thin for them, and if the 2 albums aren't too similar for them to maintain any more than their already committed fanbase. They are on to a good thing, but do they have another trick to broaden their appeal? I'm not sure.