Howler + The Cast Of Cheers

These NME “next big thing” shows are unreliable at best, purely unwarranted hype at worst. Pleasingly, the main support on the last night of this year’s tour proved pleasingly idiosyncratic. Clearly taking cues from the lively pop of Foals, oddball quirks of Devo and sheer otherworldly intensity of the great Battles, somehow Irish math-rockers The Cast Of Cheers carved out their own delectably raucous sound.  Headlining, ultra-hip US youngsters Howler, with their arrogant swagger and derivative style, should have been infuriating. Still, there was something seductive about the catchy Pavement/Dinosaur Jr grunge-pop channeled with such euphoric simplicity, making them hard to resist.

The Haunt, 31 October 2012

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