I Am Kloot
Live Review: I Am Kloot
KOKO, London
Tuesday 22nd April 2008
by Richard Berry
The temptation for any reviewer discussing I Am Kloot is to prophesy their genius and bemoan their lack of commercial success, pleading with the rest of the world to give them the recognition their talent deserves. There is good reason to feel this way, but better reason to stay calm about the whole affair. The band certainly seem in no hurry to 'make it', in pleasing contrast to others their home city of Manchester has produced recently, most notably The Courteeners.
My appreciation of I Am Kloot is certainly not diminished by their absence from Radio One, provided they have enough fans to pay the bills so that they can keep making outstanding records, of which their latest, Play Moolah Rouge, is another example. I Am Kloot are, above all, a band's band; the kind of act more successful contemporaries look upon with wonder and envy.
Their gig tonight was distinctly low key, even by I Am Kloot's usual slow-burning standards. The band's music has a retro sound that avoids any hint of nostalgia and its strength lies in lead singer John Bramwell's dark and brooding lyrics, which are at once epic and everyday in equal measures.
The set was a showcase for those talents. About half of the songs came from Play Moolah Rouge, with around half from their back catalogue. It was an impressive display, although, overall, the night was slightly lacking in the passion that is seen and heard in most of I Am Kloot's output.
A gradual beginning was to be expected, but there was a failure to kick on from that in the latter half of the set. Things started to take off with two more up-tempo songs played back to back about halfway through, third album single Over My Shoulder and Someone Like You from the new album. However, this was immediately followed by a solo acoustic section from Bramwell; a treat, but not necessarily in the right place.
Another minor frustration is that Bramwell does not always make full use of his voice. In To You, the first track of the band's first album, he displays an amazing vocal range, especially in the implausibly high notes of the chorus. Thankfully the song has stayed on the setlist ever since, but the vocal tricks are rarely replicated elsewhere; he prefers to let his lyrics play centre stage.
There are plenty of bands who are described as better live than in the studio. It is no insult to I Am Kloot to say that the opposite is - only just - true of them. That said, they are an act with talents almost unrivalled in today's music industry, and are a deeply rewarding listen wherever you happen to hear them.
For more details about I Am Kloot, including any forthcoming UK tour dates, see their page here on Ents24.
