Foxes! @ Buffalo Bar, London 10.01.12

Oxford natives the Dead Jericho's are on support duty tonight. Slightly more progressive than your average indie band, there is more than a touch of Foals and Bloc Party but unfortunately every song seems drenched in delay and reverb. In a cosy venue this is a risky game and the tracks start to merge into one another with little to distinguish them. What they lack in clarity they make up for in energy and the performance itself is engaging enough with new single ‘Please Yourself. the standout track.

A little later in the evening Foxes! take to the stage. With a fuller sound than what has gone before, the 4 members make good use of the various synths and guitars set up in front of them. Opening track 'Welcome to the Jivin' is a pleasant way to start off. The vocals are well judged and the guitar melody sits nicely on top of the bed of synths. In fact as the set goes on the word pleasant springs to mind more often. The problem is, this isn't a particularly good way to describe a live show. Foxes! are good, nice, cute etc. But they are just a little bit dull.

That's not to say they are a bad watch or listen. Promoting their eponymous upcoming album released on the 16th through Big Salad, they make their way quickly through 5 or 6 tracks and all of them are very well put together. Everyone is aware of their role on each song. The female vocals stand out and dovetail snugly with the various male vocals in a sort electric Moldy Peaches or Magic Numbers way. Plus its impossible not to be impressed by anyone who can drum and sing at the same time. The various Casio's on stage produce some pleasant (there's that word again) noises and a quick glance around the crowd see's lots of smiling faces.

Mid way through the set, it appears as the Foxes! are aware of their limitations up to this point. 'Banana Split' raises the pulse ever so slightly and is definitely the highlight. The song structures start to get noticeably more complicated. It does feel a bit confused but at this stage that's probably not a bad thing. Overall though if there's any straying from the comfort zone, it's never for too long and the show draws to a close to a lovely round of applause. In fact this show was so warm and fuzzy from start to finish, that the sound tech felt comfortable enough to peel, and eat a banana half way through a song. Although exactly which song is harder to recall. That should sum things up pretty well.