What Are You Like

support Cap A Pie + Tones Of Youth + Reverent Motel
author PP date 13/08/11 venue PH Cafeen, Copenhagen, DEN

Copenhagen pop punkers The National Shut Up disbanded earlier this year, but the members were quick to announce the formation of a new band called What Are You Like in its place, another pop punk outfit but one which doesn't rely so much on the perceived 'college pop punk' genre as it does on the origins of pop punk from the early Blink 182 years. Tonight is their debut show, one where they introduce their sound and their six brand new songs to the public for the first time, as a part of a wider lineup of young and newly formed bands.

Cap A Pie

First up was Cap A Pie, a band whose members looked like they were all still in high school and not of the legal drinking age. They had brought their friends and classmates along by the looks of it, who ensured that it both felt and looked like the band had an actual fan base already, given the amount of dancing that was going on in front of the stage. Musically, the band plays riff driven rock'n'roll directly inspired by Australian rockers Jet, whose song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" was included as a cover song tonight. In fact, it was often difficult to distinguish between said rockers and Cap A Pie, whose sound is more or less identical to the Aussies. That's not a good thing, as Jet plays incredibly simple and, frankly, uninspiring music. Fortunately, Cap A Pie have a vocalist/guitarist who gives his all, pulling up his guitar for solos, showing off his ability to rock out, and generally sports a ton of energy. He has a fair bit of charisma that, despite the band's wavering song quality, leads me to believe he has some potential as a vocalist/frontman in the future. For now, Cap A Pie look exactly like what they are: a high school rock band.

Tones Of Youth

Likewise, Tones Of Youth also look like a high school band. They announce tonight to be their second show ever, and boy, the inexperience shows. Not only does the band look shy, but they have literally no charisma whatsoever, and their stage show is completely static. Fair enough, they play a style of alternative rock that doesn't warrant much movement anyway, but still, the set is so unengaging and nondescript it's hard not to feel bored. Luckily, the set is short, and the final song title really says it all about their show: "Nobody Cares". A band with no potential, if you ask me.

4

What Are You Like

What Are You Like, however, are instantly more likable, not just because their song material is so much more obviously relevant and interesting, but also because the band members are able to draw from a wealth of live experience to both look and sound convincing live. Yeah, the songs sound a liiiitttle too much like Sum 41 and Blink 182 at times to an extent where I wasn't sure if the band were covering a song by one of the two bands, but they play their songs with good energy and a funny, laid-back attitude that makes you not to think about that too much. Moreover, the band are hilarious in between songs; the funny banter they shout out is miles more convincing than any of the other bands today, and you can tell the band are experienced entertainers from their time in The National Shut Up. Overall, the impression from their debut show is that they have good songs, but they still need to establish a core sound that you'll associate with them instead of the obvious references that made up for most of their show tonight.

7

Reverent Motel

Reverent Motel were the odd one out tonight. Featuring a contrabass and a bunch of, err, heavy dudes on stage, they are a band that take the rockabilly style and extend it with jazz grooves and a laid back atmosphere. In fact, their concert is one of those where sitting down feels more like an encouragement than an activity frowned upon, given how closely they depict a band playing some fancy upper class dinner party where the people are more focused on their food and social interaction than on what's happening on stage. It's as if nobody is meant to even look there, and Reverent Motel merely provide background ambiance, and in that sense they are very good. For a concert experience, however, they are just far too dull and uninteresting for anyone to care about, and as such, the room is almost completely empty by their third song.

5

Note: main photo of What Are You Like

Photos by Rasmus Ejlersen

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