Kids in Glass Houses :: Wessex Scene Online

Kids in Glass Houses

Kids in Glass Houses (photo: chris friese)

14th December 2009
Hayley Taulbut

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Nov 09 - East Pak Antidote
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Mar 09 - Keane, London O2 Arena
Feb 09 - Random Hand - Hamptons

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Tonight was a Welsh extravaganza! Kids in Glass Houses, hailing from South Wales, brought Straight Lines and Attack! Attack!

With them on tour, which proved two things: 1) That Wales is the home of a plethora of fantastic musicians, and 2) that the Welsh accent is utterly unintelligible.

First up were Straight Lines, who were fantastic. Their ridiculously happy, but decidedly ‘grown-up’ emo-pop-punk sound was fantastic, and was frankly quite refreshing; given the current music scene that champions the macabre, Straight Lines are fun yet mature, and an utter delight to watch. Earning themselves a place on tour with Kids in Glass Houses is no small wonder:;they had a stage presence of a band at least four times as big as them, and an arsenal of songs that defied you to dance, with their debut due early 2010. Personal favourites were ‘All My Friends Have Joined the Army’ and ‘Say It For Your Sake’. They were really rewarding to watch and listen to, and should be big come 2010, so are certainly ones to keep an eye on!

Up next were Attack! Attack!, who have earned themselves an army of fans in a relatively small space of time since conception in 2006 for one very simple reason.
‘Their music is utterly brilliant.’

Having toured with the likes of Lostprophets, Funeral for a Friend, and now Kids in Glass Houses, it wont be long until Attack! Attack! grace the stage for a headline set. And when they do, it will be well deserved.

But onto the main act. Kids in Glass Houses exploded onto the stage with a fury that they have become known for. They play with an immense amount of enthusiasm, and have the feel of a band that has been around forever - they are more like a singular unit than a group of five guys – they were finishing each others sentences, and have a chemistry only possible between the most intimate of friends.

And a rather talented group of friends at that! Lead singer Aled Phillips has got a fantastic voice, a stage presence beyond belief, and an enthusiasm that never seems to dampen, which makes him a joy to watch. Equally matching him in enthusiasm and precision were Iain Mahanty and Joel Fisher, both on guitar, negotiating the stage with the air of veteran performers.

Despite touring pretty much relentlessly for the past two years, supporting acts such as Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy, and headlining their own sets at small venues, you couldn’t tell they had been playing classics such as ‘Give Me What I Want’ and ‘Saturday’ for even a day: they are still playing with the same vigour as the day they started! Their performance remained fresh and fun, with tracks from their new album littering the set-list, though not due for release until 2010. It was exciting to hear Kids in Glass Houses play some new material, with tracks such as current single ‘Young Blood (Let it All Out)’ really standing out.

All in all, it was a great gig. All three acts can officially add themselves to the long list of superb performers hailing from the valleys.

Score: 80%