The Walkmen
The Walkmen - Walking Tall
New Tent - Friday
The last date of a short British Tour for Washington’s The Walkmen sees them blessed with a fine sony/sunny (boom boom) early afternoon Glasto set.
Playing songs from their recently(ish) released album “Bows & Arrows”, a packed New Stage tent with a bizarre and completely unmarketable perfume of sweat, mud and suntan-lotion greets them like long-lost friends. Like young astronauts (you know the score, smart hair cuts, clean looking all American boys) orbiting planet jagged, quirky pop’n’roll in a Wire, Eddie and the Hotrods (yes really), Strokes kinda vibe. Two gears – tense and tenser, Hamilton Leithauser rasping like a cracked Dylan over a muscular, more linear Pavement, driven by the strategically inserted bass of Peter Bauer and highly sprung drumming of highly sprung drummer Matt Barrick.
‘My Old Man’ opened proceedings but things really kicked in with ‘The Rat’, a storming, furiously joyous blast of rampant American ‘indie’ – “You’ve got a nerve” screams Leithauser as he induces airborne popcorn and much slapping of flesh and squawks of approval from the crowd. “138th Street” almost works as the middle of the set let’s be sensible quieter moment, but it’s essentially when The Walkmen hit it hard that they deliver best. Set closer “Little House of Savages” is death defying, diving headlong at the heart of classic and striking bull’s-eye.
When they’re good they’re great as those fortunate enough to catch them supporting Modest Mouse in the US this summer and at further festival dates in the UK will discover for themselves.
Martin J Williams
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