Review | Ghostcat

by Little Miss B, 26 April 2010. All photography by Rachel Ferriman for The Girls Are.

Ghostcat + Rotkappchen @ Catch 22, Kingsland Road. 

Catch 22 is a strange venue: long and thin, with a small well of space just outside the toilet door, it does not initially present the perfect arena in which to enjoy live music. The acoustics, however, are amazing. Where so many large venues fail, the tiny Catch 22 effortlessly showcases their acts' sonic prowess, leaving us oglers to get on with fighting for a front row vantage point.

Tonight's bill saw riff-heavy The Boicotts open proceedings. Unfortunately The Girls Are arrived a little late (blame the amazing noodles we were tussling with next door) and missed these guys. However, we were fortunate enough to witness the stomping, theatrical electro-madness that was Rotkappchen. We had been due to see this band a few months back at the brilliant L*dyGarden, but due to some air-traffic troubles, we were denied. The long wait proved worth it as this London-based duo floored the crowd with their relentless and spirited surrealist performance. Garbed in eerie Little Red Riding Hood-meets Jester Lycra, Rotkappchen pounded their way through a slick and enigmatic electro-clash set. Drummer Annie O is nothing short of outstanding, and synth-wizard Ian proved his nimble-fingered mettle track after track. As amazing as they were, however, it was slightly curious to see them play at a small venue on a Wednesday evening. Far more suited to a Friday night electro-night, Rotkappchen deserve your attention.

Next up to the plate was Ghostcat. You may have recently seen our 'Introducing' feature on this four-piece, and we are pleased to say they did not disappoint. One member down (bassist Ben had wounded his arm) this rock outfit produced an endless stream of perfectly pitched pop gems. Frontwoman Ali Cat leaped, purred and bounced her way through an up-tempo set, a shock of red lipstick cutting across her beautiful, elfin face. With strut and charisma, she climbed upon (and slipped off) various pieces of equipment, really coming into her own as she set free her inimitable voice. Between songs, her stilted banter hinted at nerves, which merely added to the geeky charm of this band. At moments reminiscent of an early 90's Madonna, at others a baby Karen O, Ali Cat seemed to need to riff off the audience, constantly inciting us to move forward, smile and make some noise. This is another band better suited to a weekend show. Catchy, infectious and very very talented, Ghostcat are ones to keep an eye on.

The Great Debate | La Roux

Little Miss B, 27th September 2009...

Leisurely flicking through The Guide on Saturday morning, I was disappointed to stumble across yet another damning review of Elly Jackson. Is it just me, or does this girl receive an unnecessary level of criticism?

Firstly, it is worth pointing out that La Roux are a duo. For those who are linguistically challenged, this means there are TWO people in this band. I hate hate hate that only one of them gets vilified, and for the rubbishest of reasons.

Journo Alex Macpherson opines "Her staggering ignorance is rivaled only by her lack of talent: the woman cannot sing".

Much of the debate surrounding the lovely little ginge concerns her ability (or lack thereof) to actually sing. Not to mention the flack she receives all over YouTube for being 'just so ugly'. Ummm, has anyone taken a look at Thom York recently? When did having a good face have anything to do with musical prowess? Now, I'm certainly not saying La Roux are up there with Radiohead, but crikey moses - cut the girl some slack.

(Editors note - the above statement has nothing to do with Little Miss B’s enormously biased, ardent admiration of all people ginge).


I will concede that often, in interviews, Elly Jackson can come across as.... a tad spoiled. Brattish even. A bit of a misery. But, so what? There are a million artists out there, who let's be honest, are complete schmo's in interviews. I could mention Chris Martin for example. Arrogant, ungracious twat. Jeez louise, look at Lily Allen. The crap that has fallen out of her mouth over the years… But does this really have anything to do with someone’s ability to make music?

So, nonsense arguments aside - let's look at the real issue here. Can Elly sing? Well, yes. Yes she can. She often sings in falsetto, which is not to everyone's taste, but yes she can sing. She sings 80's inspired synth pop, which is not to everyone's taste, but yes she can sing. She sometimes falters on a few notes when singing live (who doesn't?), but yes, she can sing.

As a vocalist myself, I get a tiny bit irked at the notion that if you do not sing like Mariah Carey, Beyonce or any of the banal chart nonsense pervading the airwaves these days, that you cannot sing. That if your voice is a little different, you cannot sing. Ok, Elly Jackson does not have the strongest voice in the world. Fair enough. Does she claim to? Nope, don't think she does. The criticism she receives for her ability to perform live is harsh at best. I can show you many, MANY examples of brilliant artists such as Juliette Lewis, Beth Ditto and Karen O sounding abominably bad live. Flat as a pancake.


Take a good look at the seemingly endless list of indie bands we have been subjected to over the past few years - how many of their front men can actually sing? On another note, let's look at Pele from The Hives. The man cannot sing. He is, however, a fantastic and charismatic front man. His strutting and hysterical vocals are pitch perfect for the kind of band he fronts. Elly sings for a very stylised, 80's inspired, synth pop duo. Does her pared down, slightly spoilt and melancholic demeanour suit this? Absolutely. Does her voice suit the songs? Without a doubt. Are the songs La Roux are making any good? As synthy pop goes, damn straight they are.


So let’s move on eh?
Super.