PLUG - Plug (Upset The Rhythm)

It’s almost two years since I first heard PLUG. They were playing the Macbeth in Shoreditch, a club full of kids who were convinced that they were in the coolest place in the world at the moment, no matter which band was playing. PLUG were quite a sight to behold: Two girls on stage, in corresponding PL-UG shirts, the drummer beating her kit in an almost convulsive way while yelping into the mic, and the bassist, well, the bassist sitting down, plucking her guitar while simultaneously -- and very carefully -- playing a keyboard with her toes.

On their self-titled debut, their are hints of PLUG’s minimalist start, but the gimmick of playing a keyboard with your toes doesn’t translate to audio. So it’s to their advantage that they’ve stepped up their synth parts quite a bit, still relying on repetition but the sort of repetition that corresponds with catchy and memorable songs instead of betraying ineptitude. As a rhythm driven band, it’s great to hear the drums on level with vocals, the jerky thuds a wonderful compliment to the sexy, apathetic voices. Mostly, though, they’ve done an excellent job of capturing the moody, broody sound of early ‘80s post-punk, keeping things simple, but still doing simple very well. Perhaps a Beatles medley is not the most conducive to their sound, but PLUG have a cohesive style they project uniformly, that far outshines an ill chosen cover.