Morning Parade

Camden Barfly - 8/12/11

The boys of Morning Parade are preaching to the converted tonight. This gig is a track by track album playback and the comparatively small pub-cum-notorious-nightspot of the Camden Barfly is rammed with fans who are ready for their close-up.

Maybe it’s the audience’s familiarity, the prospect of a stage which they already know they can command with ease, or perhaps it’s the driving optimism of a band who are awaiting the release of their first album, but Morning Parade display a confidence that almost tips over into nonchalance as they pick their way through crowd-pleasing openers ‘Blue Winter’ and ‘Headlights’.

Stripped of the glittering lights and sci-fi staging that accompanied the last Morning Parade show we attended, they line up against a black curtain with their name emblazoned on it in stark, uncomplicated lettering. There’s no fluff here. They’re playing it straight. It matches the bold, sharpened sound that fills the room, with Steve Sparrow’s crystal clear vocals piercing the shabby chique/grotty/Camden boho atmosphere of the venue, like an angel in the valley of death.

With their set condensed into the running order of the forthcoming album, the show seems more finely honed than we’ve witnessed previously, building steadily to its punches and relenting into more melancholy moments without wandering into indulgences at either end of the spectrum.

The economy of sounds is wisely chosen and bodes well for the eponymous eleven track release, which will inevitably be regarded as a unit of work and not just a list of good songs. It feels like they’ve got the balance right.

Morning Parade go from strength to strength and tonight’s performance demonstrates their command of their craft. The audience response is resoundingly positive.

Lapping up the love in the room, the Morning Parade marches on.