Censored play at Allsaints, Spitalfields

8th June 2008
It’s a gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon in Spitalfields and the market is plagued by groggy fashionistas, coaxed from their beds by the beautiful weather and the desire to buy something pretty to take their minds off their throbbing hangovers. However, on approaching All Saints store, the crowd become entranced by music being pumped by the store speakers into the street and, like the rats of Hamlin Town, following the song inside.

Nestled amongst racks of hideously overpriced urban-gothwear, Censored are playing a set filled with instantly catchy tunes and sing-along lyrics. They perform with maturity and versatility rarely found in such a young band – which comes from years of experience, including an acclaimed slot at the Carling festival and a Club NME tour, as well as a massive and dedicated following in Midlands. The lyrics to ‘Lonesome Town’ reflect the band’s dissatisfaction with everyday suburban life, placing them firmly among the Arctic Monkey generation, while blues-rock ‘In the Presence of the Lord’ is the musical equivalent of a grizzled old man drinking away his last days in a rocking chair on a wooden porch in the Texas desert. However, the highlight of the show is ‘Play the Game’, due to be released as a single the next day. It is so achingly catchy that the audience are dancing (well, as much as can be expected considering it’s the middle of the day and they are surrounded by rails and rails of couture) and is surely destined for massive radio play over the summer.

Censored, like the piper, are calling you to join them.

- Anna Dobbie, LoudandQuiet