Guards LIVE @ Shacklewell Arms 15.10.13

‘Dude, do you own any trousers that aren’t black skinny jeans?’

‘No.’

This was the exchange that greeted me on my way into the Shacklewell tonight and it just goes to show – this place has CHANGED. When I was a kid, this was the pub that you went round the block to avoid. Wearing black skinny jeans here would’ve got you beaten up; the only trousers worn here were… well, I never actually got close enough to find out. It was that scary.

Fortunately for the 100 or so punters crammed into their tiny live room tonight, that’s no longer the case, and as a result we are being treated to a night of high-shine, jangly new wave pop from New York’s Guards. It’s an interesting mix of people. The usual Dalston hipsters are, of course, in evidence, but there’s also a fair few slightly uncomfortable-looking balding blokes, anxiously clutching their pints. You know the ones – they all look like High Fidelity was based on them, like they wouldn’t venture to Dalston unless they know it will be worth their while. I take their presence as a good sign.

Guards wander on to the strains of their Serge Gainsbourg-esque entry music at around 10, and I’m pleased to see that the baldy blokes were right. For starters, they look amazing. Dressed all in black and with a curtain of impossibly straight hair, lead singer Richie Follin strums feverishly at a black Rickenbacker, stopping occasionally to cradle it lovingly, as though it might be taken from him at any moment. Next to him, Kaylie Church towers over a rack of synths, looking for all the world like a dark-haired Nico with a serious thousand-yard stare.

The band launch promptly into a set that nods its head to everything from the summery sparkle of the Beach Boys, to the New Wave renaissance of early Strokes, to the ethereal vocals of Sigur Ros and the borderline-psychedelia of Jefferson Airplane, sequing seamlessly between tracks, with the occasional well-timed foray into gut-rumbling heaviness. The set draws heavily from their debut album ‘In Guards We Trust’, which was finally released this year, three years after their first EP ‘Guards’. It’s clear to see that taking their time has paid off, and the material they treat us to tonight will surely guarantee that the world sits up and takes notice. It’s a fitting warm up for their support slot for MGMT the following night, and they seem genuinely excited to be playing it.

The band puts their all into giving the crowd a good time – towards the end of the set, Follin asks the engineer to ‘turn all the lights off… then give ‘em the best light show they’ve ever seen in their entire life’. We’re then treated to a frenetic treat of heavy bass, echoing shrieks, crashing drums – and yes, some pretty awesome lights. They bow out on an almost angelic note, as Church’s organ soars and soothes and Follin exclaims that it’s been ‘wonderful to meet you’. This is what really strikes me about Guards – they’re so polite, so eager to please, so grateful for the attention. Something tells me they’ll be getting a lot more of it from now on.