Charting (Potentially) Within Months: Part VII – Performance
Performance are the gloomiest bunch of Mancunians to make strangely uplifting pop music since Morrissey stuck a (fake) rose between his teeth, “quiffed up”, and formed a band. Mancunian bands are endlessly, and unfairly, compared to The Smiths, but the comparisons between Performance and The Smiths are more than a Mancunian connection. I’m not about to call them “2010’s answer to the Smiths” (although it is very tempting), but the Marr-ian jangle and the Morrissey-esq depression is spread liberally throughout their music, albeit mixed with a good deal of electronics that marks them out as unique, and far from being a 2010 angled plagiarism of The Smiths.
I was surprised to hear that Performance have actually already released their debut album back in 2007, but they are now getting ready to release their next album in 2010. With strong pop songs like they have, it’s weird that they haven’t been picked up by a major label. Well, actually, they did receive offers from major labels, but all of them stipulated that the band would have to change their name, if they wanted the deal. It’s great to see a band with a bit of integrity, more interested in making great music than lots of money. From the strength of their newer songs, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this band consisting of a novelist and the producer/song writer behind increasingly suspicious Sony signed artist Hurts went on to produce one of 2010’s most unexpectedly fantastic pop records. In fact, it’s quite surprising that they haven’t been hyped much yet, but they are currently giving away new song “Reptile” for free, and it’s exactly the sort of pop music that should be littering our charts. With any luck, “Reptile” will help to grab the band much earned attention, and Performance will be their “1901”, and a precursor to a great album.
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December 28th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Meh, I dunno… The verses have a bit of a Modern English meets modern production techniques, but the chorus is pure OC soundtrack schlock. Alternately, this is the song played during the adolescent epiphany montage in one of those movie adaptations of a Nicholas Sparks novel.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Haha… all I can say is that you’re spot on with the “adolescent epiphany montage”. I guess you’re right about the “OC soundtrack shlock” , but that’s exactly the sort of obvious “schlock” that I really can’t help liking, and I’m not about to pretend that I don’t like something just because Pitchfork wouldn’t approve.
To be fair to the band, “Reptile” is far from their best song, it just happens to be the one that they’re giving away for free.
January 3rd, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Wow. A New Year but where are the new posts? Please write something new
– Bill
January 14th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Title…
Very interesting post. I would like to link back to it….
January 18th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
“…increasingly suspicious Hurts…” ? thats intriguing – what’s it mean? I don’t get them myself.
Great site, thanks for the heads up on Velo – like that tracks loads.
January 19th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
No problems, thanks for the link back! Liking shitboyfriend as well.
Haha well… Yeah, at the time I was a bit confused that they had managed to get a record label off the back of one song, and the amount of exposure they were getting was completely excessive. The only conclusion I could come to was that they are an evil major label concoction, hence the “increasingly suspicious” line. Got to say, since then I’ve heard three more songs from them which seem to confirm my suspicions. Seriously like a well marketed and arranged Westlife. I hope they prove me wrong though, “Wonderful Life” is, indeed, brilliant.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
hurts used to be a band called daggers, who played the circuit for quite some time but never really crossed over. hurts is the butterfly from the daggers caterpiller.