This ain’t good. When you listen carefully to the demo of an exciting new indie band and the only impression you’re left with is enhanced admiration for Robyn’s ‘With Every Heartbeat’ it ain’t good (like a nickel made of wood). But there you are; the only memorable tune on this four-song demo is a crappily-performed parody of the Swedish pop annoyance’s big hit. Occasionally this sort of thing can be a blast-witness Cake’s stumbling, stoned demolition of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’, which will live to the end of time. Brookes University’s Vixens have a reputation to make though (they are inexplicably supporting Youthmovies at the Cellar soon) and the gamble has backfired. Their original songs sound derivative and tedious, and Robyn’s bit of nonsense eclipses all of them.
The first thing to say is that the vocalist is hopeless, singing throughout with zero-point energy and majoring in droning tunelessness. The cover mercilessly exposes his limitations but he’s not much better on the originals, swerving between a forlorn Jim Morrison impersonation on ‘All of us Liars’ and a half -hearted essay in Julian Casablancas posing on the forgettable ‘Modern Haste’. The instrumentalists do a passable impression of The Strokes on ‘Her Eyes’ but it’s a style which has been out of date for years now – why revive it? ‘Modern Haste’ sees Vixens, like far too many young bands, aping Editors (who aren’t much cop themselves) and ‘All Of Us Liars’ sounds like a Pearl Jam B-side.
If this review seems overburdened with refences to other artists, this is clearly because Vixens have yet to find their own voice. While this is admittedly common enough for student bands, the group must provide a speedy answer to the question of whether there is any talent underneath the karaoke incompetence. Youthmovies await.