From firstly being moved to the lower-capacity Oxford Art Factory to the announcement of half-price tickets, things didn't look good for the Pony Up! and co gig. But redemption arrived when The Devoted Few took to the stage and played their hearts out to a sea of fans who still had the breathing room to nod approvingly to their indie rock beats. This Australian band, having been around since 2002, has steadily grown in their ability to capture the attention of their audiences. Their tracks - which spanned their collective work from albums such as 2004's Billboard Noises right up to this year's release, Baby, You're a Vampire - had moments of classic rock that had the crowd jumping up and down, to flourishes and noise which had people blissfully closing their eyes in appreciation.
With the crowd having dispersed further and the hardcore Pony Up! fans squealing adoringly up the front, it was then time for the Montreal quartet to grace the stage. It all seemed a little mechanical to begin with. They came on with little introduction and launched into tracks from their new album Stay Gold, which were plagued by a couple of slightly irritating sound problems that really should have been sorted by their third song, some problems from the singers with pitch, and the band as a whole occasionally throwing the rhythm out and clashing.
All that said, it was when they played their tracks from Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes that the punters went crazy. In particular and unsurprisingly, the biggest hit seemed to be 'The Truth About Cats and Dogs'; a well-performed rendition of 'What's Free Is Yours' also went down a treat with the crowd.
It was a shame that there was little interaction from the band, who were launching from song to song relatively quickly. Despite their new songs being beautifully written and lyrically spun like stories, there's no doubt that this band hasn't received the recognition they deserve this time around. However, it was clear that people are liking the old stuff better than the new stuff.
Carrie Dennes
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