Live Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Cluny 2, Newcastle, 12/10/2012

We Were Promised Jetpacks' current position is a tough one to evaluate. Now fairly established on the UK's underground indie circuit, the Edinburgh quartet are nevertheless an outfit you'd file under 'promising' as opposed to any category of fulfilment. They're undoubtedly headed in the right direction: two albums in, they've clearly made strides with regards to consistency, and though still a work in progress from a songwriting perspective can summon levels of passion and energy to mix it with the best. It was on impulse, then, that I decided to attend the first date of the group's latest UK tour, fuelled by curiosity as to whether that recorded zest could be channelled into their live shows.

Album Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks - In The Pit Of The Stomach

France and Italy are often cited as the nations which boast the sexiest voices, but when it comes to singing there's nothing that can beat the ragged, windswept Scottish drawl. No matter how harsh, tuneless or pissed up the voice, there's something undeniably beautiful and serene about that far northerly accent which is capable of igniting even the most lifeless of songs. Given that it's residents have such a powerful natural attribute, it's unsurprising that Scotland yields so many great bands, but even by it's standards the current crop is exciting. Biffy Clyro, The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit have all achieved a level of critical or commercial success (or both), and although they count those peers among their key influences, Edinburgh crew We Were Promised Jetpacks can now also be categorised alongside such prestigious company.