Smaller house, but still very crowded

Pajama Club

Birmingham Glee Club

July 20, 2011

"This is a blessed thing for us," said Neil Finn midway through Pajama Club's Birmingham show.

Blessed, explained the man from New Zealand, because several hundred people had turned out on a Wednesday night to hear a brand new band that has yet to release any material.

Most outfits in that situation would struggle to give tickets away, but Pajama Club had no problem attracting an audience.

Then again, most bands don't have the Crowded House singer/songwriter in their line-up. Last year the Crowdies sold out the Symphony Hall two nights in a row. Neil Finn could probably spend his days touring his hits and building up a massive bank balance - a sort of Kiwi version of Paul McCartney.

Instead he's gone right back to basics and started up a new band. He plays guitar and, occasionally, drums, his wife Sharon plays bass, Sean Donnelly adds synthesisers and guitar and Alana Skyring holds it all together on the drums.

So, it's a brand new band, but having Neil Finn gave the audience a rough idea of what to expect, even if the debut album isn't due for release until September.

And, yes, there were plenty of catchy choruses and perky melodies, but with a somewhat rockier edge. There was also a bit of dance music in there as

well. And all of it was performed in a pleasingly ramshackle manner, with the occasional fluffed intro and plenty of chatter between songs.

It was a very low-key affair. Alana Skyring even mans the T-shirt stall before and after the show. Somehow you can't imagine old Charlie Watts knocking out the tour programmes at a Rolling Stones gig.

However, sometimes it felt as if they were trying a little too hard to sound different. Some songs were drowned out by the synthesiser's fuzzy effects and bleeps and whistles. At times it was like trying to listen to a new song while having a Nintendo DS shoved in your ear.

Still, that criticism aside, for a new band they show plenty of promise.

By Andrew Owen