[a]Boy George[/a] is standing in the corner. Not so surprising when you realise tonight is a showcase for his new Things To Come label. Considering the most innovative thing [a]Culture Club[/a] ever did was make cross-dressing more acceptable, our hopes aren’t high.
We’re pleased to report, then, that the, ahem, hotly-tipped AKA rely entirely on plundering the past and aping other bands in the search for the ultimate ‘dance/rock crossover’. Not that originality is the only virtue, it’s just nice when it happens.
From London Town, AKA feature drums, guitars, a decknician and a lead singer known as Adam who’s wearing a T-shirt that reads ‘Shithead’. His major lyrical theme appears to be sex and wanking. Mmm, great. First track ‘You Been Sold’ could be the Mondays or the initial incarnation of the Lo-Fidelity Allstars, all Wrekked Train-esque non-singing, but without the edge or dirty beats. They follow it with ‘Starz’ their debut single but even that lacks the dark, sparky groove of the released version, and ends up sounding like a dire funk dub workout.
Ultimately, AKA are all mouth and badly cobbled together second-hand trousers. A timely reminder that [a]Boy George[/a] shouldn’t give up the day job.