The Soft Pack @ Camden Barfly 06/11/09
After guitarist Matty McLoughlin’s bronchitis forced the band to cancel their other planned UK gigs, the crowd in Camden barfly were relieved to see the Los Angeles quartet appear on stage. Any signs of fatigue were quickly shaken off as the band tore through a set of chirpy, upbeat pop-punk. If anything The Soft Pack’s name is misleading, upon hearing their moniker the un-initiated may expect a set of twee acoustic numbers – when the band’s actual tone couldn’t be further from it. Their energetic, stripped down sound draws on the same influences that fuelled the garage rock revival at the start of the decade. However, the quality of The Soft Pack’s songs separates them from the influx of mediocre bands that dominated at that particular time.
After, rather sensibly, changing their name from The Muslims the band has continued to win plaudits from various tastemakers and their eponymous debut looks likely to be an early highlight in 2010. Keep an eye on their MySpace for more details.
Photos by David Sutheran
