Glass Caves are a very hard working band. Currently unsigned, but working closely with the likes of Scruff of the Neck and This Feeling, they haven’t quite received the big break they perhaps deserve. That doesn’t stop them putting out big singles, constantly touring and slowly building a fanbase, though, and their show at The Joker, although not sold out, showcased exactly what they’re about: big choruses, Northern humour and traditional indie-rock.

Opening the show was local three-piece Honeyshake. They’re a strange band who combine 50s-style rock'n'roll in the ilk of Roy Orbison with big American riffs, a la Foreigner and Journey. Honestly, the 50s-style songs work and, at times, with their slicked back hair and cool shirts, it clicks and they become a decent retro band, but the big riffs seem laboured and cliche and don't work at all. They’re a band that needs to stick to the 50s because it’s a lot more interesting and unique than the swaggering rock that everyone seems to be doing.

Sal Paradise, on the other hand, have a very distinct look and sound they’re going for. Picture Humbug-era Arctic Monkeys, or early Queens of the Stone Age and you wouldn’t be too far away from what they’re going for. They’re pretty good at what they do, too, but there’s no real hook or individuality to make them stand out from a very over-subscribed area of music.

Germany’s Razz were the real surprise package of the evening. Playing their first ever UK gig, they combine Two Door Cinema Club-style indie-pop with bass-heavy, funk infused beats. They’ve played a lot of gigs in their native Germany and have a pretty big fanbase over there and I don’t think it’ll be long until they have the same over here. A highlight was their big single ‘Youth and Enjoyment’, which is an epic, Catfish and the Bottlemen-inspired indie-rock song with a thumping drum beats, jangling guitar and vigorous vocals.

Perhaps suffering from the Friday night crowd going out, Glass Caves opened to a half-full Joker crowd, but that didn’t deter them. With a swift “Is that the lot? Come on in, get closer!” they were off. Anyone who has listened to Glass Caves knows what they’re going to get. They play catchy indie-rock and they look like they’re having fun doing it. Single ‘Alive’ gets the biggest reaction from the crowd with frontman Matt Hallas’ vocals sounding as crisp as ever.

Not surprisingly, as they started out busking for a living, Glass Caves look completely comfortable up on the stage. Hallas’ interaction with the crowd is good, constantly bantering between songs but, most importantly, the songs are competent, durable and consistent. For a band that has been going for years, they have a strong set of songs that they can depend on to get a reaction from the crowd.

Conclusively, Glass Caves are a much better band than the crowds they play to. In a music world where the likes of Clean Cut Kid, The Sherlocks and Judas are doing so well, Glass Caves are as good, if not better than them. The likes of ‘Swim’, which sounds like a stadium defining song that U2 could come up with, and encore song, ‘Go’, they have the tools to go far. They’re not going to redefine music, but they’re a band worthy of a break.

Liam McMillen

Website: glasscaves.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/glasscavesmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/GlassCaves