Van Susans

• Posted: Sun 7 Aug 2011
• By: LadyLeila

Arguably Europe’s most famous live music venue; the 100 Club has born testament to seminal gigs by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols - you name it they’ve played on that simple stage in the centre of London’s West End; in a club the walls of which are dripping with history and soon the sweat of Van Susans’ manically devoted followers. Now it was their turn to make history.

Van Susans could not have chosen the platform for their EP’s promotion more wisely, but they would have to wait their turn as support bands Canvas Wall and The Lunar Pilots were also keen to promote their latest releases– Debut single ‘Sooner or Later’ and new EP ‘Beautiful Game’.

Openers, alt-rock band Canvas Weekend set the crowd alight with style, their broad grins and contagiously vigorous stage presence perfectly complimenting the driving groovy choruses banged out with unbounded ferocity by a drummer that would have put John Bonham to shame.

With an opening set like that the Van Susans were probably fearful of being outdone by second act The Lunar Pilots but, even on first impressions, this group was not likely to upstage the headliners having decided to wear some kind of wedding band waistcoat wardrobe. In addition, the group’s charisma was such that it seemed as if they could easily have been session musicians hired by the frontman who did, to his credit try athletically to garner the flagging support of an unenthusiastic crowd.

Up next to the excitement of onlookers were headliners the Van Susans who played a set peppered with grin-enducing tracks from the EP such as single ‘Bones’ and the sing-a-long soul-satisfying ‘Plans’, interspersed with a variety of new numbers such as ‘Old Flames’ and ‘What it is to lose’ that were so good they had me at hello.

No one could say they left untouched by the Van Susans magnetism and complete song-writing prowess.

All in all it was an extremely enjoyable evening finished off by XFM’s Steve Harris who had the place partying until midnight.

I for one am glad I went and will be watching Van Susans ascent like a hawk.