London’s Average Sex signed off their first UK tour at East London’s Victoria this past Friday night. Having warmed up for us at our 8th birthday just over 2 weeks ago, we were salivating at the thought of a tour hardened band returning home.
In lead guitarist Sam O’Donovan, they have a king hook maker. Whether it’s The Strokes, Beach Boys, Ramones, or The Charlatans, he can turn his hand to the lot. On ‘U Suck’, he taps into Television and adds the destruction of punk to back mercurial front woman Laetitia Bocquet. Much like Mozza and Marr, he is fuelling the fire of Bocquet for the most part, but, on ‘Dump’ and ‘Ugly Strangers’, his licks step out of the darkness to star.
It is impossible though, to watch Average Sex and not be in awe of Bocquet. Her ability to method act each songs’ narrative is joyous. Whether it’s the hysteria of ‘We’re Done’, the wry venom of ‘Erotomania’ or the raw emotion of ‘My Dead Friend’, she gives the audience something different, almost every verse.
Together, not forgetting their slick rhythm section (Louise Earwaker / Finnigan Kidd / Jamie Graeme), they are band who seem to just get it. It’s not enough to just have great songs, you have to mean it, and Average Sex become their songs on stage. This is integrity will lead them to bigger stages sooner rather than later.
*Image courtesy of The Gig Slut