Live reviews

Turin Breaks – De Montfort University, Leicester

It's amazing how far and how quickly a band can go when you have a hit single. For a couple of weeks every music related programme on the box featured this duo singing ‘Painkiller’ and hey presto before you know it, the whole population has "Summer Rain...." (including the harmony) on their brains. So the trend follows that in the same month you do an extensive tour that sells out!

It's all going so well...so where’s the catch? Ok the band have got a few other strong tracks up their sleeves like "Underdog" and "72", but for over an hour and a half the band play either new album tracks or stuff from the first album that frankly isn't in the same league. A big light show and seasoned session musicians don't remedy this either. It's all very middle of the road and until the finali of singles, you wonder where the charm is.

Turin Breaks must be wondering how they have become so successful with such unassuming and polite natures. The answer lies in that bands like this will, once in a while, slip through the backdoor of the publics consciousness. They've played the game well and in such a volotile industry, subtlety and understatement by these underdogs has paid...big time.

All this is by the by when the audience is at last treated to ...’Summer Rain!’ dripping down my face again". Never underestimate the art of good timing, because the weather is finally turning and people may well be planning Turin Breaks this summer.

Raj Turbo

website