The Checks
Dry Bar, Manchester
Friday 20th July 2007
By Craig Berry
The Checks
New Zealand band The Checks' first visit to Britain in 2005, proved largely unsuccessful, despite a meteoric rise in their home country. But having been championed by NME, Michael Stipe and Sub Pop founder Jonathan Poneman, and armed with their long-awaited debut album, they are back. If anything, the hype surrounding the band is now even more intense. Unfortunately, however, it seems hardly more deserved this time around. While The Checks' headline set at the Dry Bar was by no means without merit, standing out in today's congested indie marketplace will require a product slightly more distinctive than they currently have at their disposal.
The real stars of the show were main support act Lady Muck, an excellent band with a terrible name. Like many of their peers, they clearly grew up on the Gallaghers, although their songs are slightly more tuneful and their choruses slightly more subtle. Think of The View minus the chaos and Scottish accents. The influence of contemporary American rock, particularly Pearl Jam and Weezer, is also audible at various points. In fact, able frontman Ben Turner breaks into a cover of Weezer's Say It Ain't So when lead guitarist Tom Parker stalls to correct an equipment failure. The band are good, but Turner's vocals are particularly - and deceptively - remarkable. As well as several epic moments, he also provides flashes of genuine tenderness too, effortlessly changing gear in the style of Elliott Smith or Jeff Buckley. The fact that Lady Muck have only existed for six months compounds the impressiveness of their performance.
In defence of The Checks, they won't be the only band upstaged by Lady Muck in the near future. Yet unless they are able to demonstrate more convincingly that they warrant headliner status, it won't be the last time on their latest British tour that they are humbled by the supporting cast. Opening act Sandbox were less impressive, despite delivering the bill's most consistent set. Their female vocalist clearly has panache, but her voice lacked depth, and their older, grungier tracks tread fairly uninspiring ground. On their newer songs, the band's exceptional drummer takes centre-stage, allowing the set to burst into life, albeit intermittently. If they can harness this nubile, drum-fuelled indie sound, they may have a chance.
The Checks
By the time The Checks appear on stage, the crowd has noticeably diminished. In truth, though, The Checks are well worth a listen. In the main, they are talented musicians. The bass is expressive, the guitars ambitious but also sharp, and the vocals solid, if somewhat anonymous. And they look like a band, which at least suggests an eagerness to please. The problem, simply, is their songs. Energetic opener Take Me There - their latest single - has a huge, confident chorus, but is instantly forgettable. The Checks clearly model their sound on the mix of indie, punk and rock'n'roll mastered by the Kings Of Leon, but their comfort zone appears to be classic stadium rock. Admittedly, it is possible that anthems such as Should I Lie and Hunting Whales would be transformed by a bigger venue, but as things stand, The Checks lack the charisma or inventiveness for more intimate settings.
The set's oddest moment occurs as frontman Ed Knowles rips off his shirt between songs. He is barely sweating, and the majority of the crowd is - at best - unmoved.
The punky Britpop of Office Man is a highlight, and closer Mercedes Child is a Jagger-esque stomper (without the perspiration) - both tracks briefly suggest the band's potential. It has to be remembered, also, that The Checks are still very young, and that their current lack of decent material may well be rectified in time for their next crack at the British market.
For more information on The Checks, including details of their current UK tour, see their page here on Ents24.
