Warpaint / Camp Basement 26.8.10
So I get told…“go see Warpaint when they come to London… you have to go see Warpaint when they come to London.” I’m like, “what is all the fuss about?” So I found out – what all the fuss was about – and I LOVED the fuss!
When I arrived at Camp Basement it was rammed to the rafters with industry people and famous hangers-on, not to mention, Nicholas Hoult of Skins fame and Michael Fassbender, star of Inglorious Basterds… It was a who’s who kind of affair, but hey, gigs like this one always are. For me, not being familiar with any Warpaint songs, just added to the fascination about this band that has become one of the most talked about in recent months.
So where do I begin…
Well, not knowing what to expect, I felt sheer joy as that first ‘90s indie riff got shredded and an instant grin appeared across this writer’s face, that’s for sure. Dreamy, psychedelic shoe gazing wonderment in abundance as Warpaint gently eased themselves into their set list. What amazed me most was just how enigmatic they are as musicians, with what seemed like a perfect mix of Shocking Blue and Sonic Youth riding the wave of Tank Girl comic book geekdom. I did feel like I’d stepped into Empire Records though, and was being entertained by an in-store band which was a great feeling – a step into nostalgia if you like. Also don’t get me started on how fucking brilliant their drummer, Stella Mozgawa was – just simply off the scale, with her rip roaring drumming skills – crashing and creating such wonderful noise. At times I wondered if I was hearing a drum machine, but it was just perfect sticksmanship which stood out as one of the highlights of the night for me. The band continued through their set, harmonising effortlessly, while all the time just oozing coolness with a total belief in themselves that did not once transpose into egotism.
Tonight was a preview gig for the bands Reading and Leeds slots this coming weekend and it certainly did have that feel. We were left in no doubt that this was something special we were witnessing as the band rattled effortlessly through songs off their recently released EP as well as, what will be new tracks from their just announced album ‘The Fool’, released through Rough Trade Records in October.
So, as the night drew to a close and heads were slowly coming to a head-shaking end, a feeling of jubilation was left in the air. It takes a special kind of band to come through a night like that unscathed and Warpaint did. Finally, we have a band that lives up to the hype.
