Crack

After a five year sabbatical, electro renaissance man Tom Vek is back with his second album Leisure Seizure. His first London gig at the mighty gay-club-come-indie-dive, Heaven, sold out in a few hours. Crack was on the scene to see this producer supernova explode...

Tom Vek had become something of an urban legend, a myth handed down from fresher to fresher. His debut album We Have Sound saw him gain solid indie credibility but no one ever expected the level of idolatry reached through his absence Instead of being tossed on the indie slagpile, the demand for the man's stock grew further. Blame the bloggers, who spun fables, imagined new tracks, dreamt of imminent releases in 2008, 2009, 2010... They rallied anticipation that Vek could not have bought. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

Cut to 2011 and Mr Vek plans a subtle surprise, a slope back in to the spotlight, but Zane Lowe spuffed his pants a week early and gave the game away. Facebook was on fire. Twitter was thumping. Blogs were finally satisfied. A Chore had been leaked. It was what the fans had been waiting for.

Consequently, this gig had a lot riding on it and a lot of hype to live up to. Instantly it was evident we are going to be in for an audio visual treat. What else would you expect from a designer turned obsessive producer. Stacks of light boxes and huge double screens covered the stage.

The four piece band, made up of Vek on bass, another guitairist/bassist, a drummer and a laptop operator, open with C-C (You Set the Fire in Me). The huge screens project black and white live footage of Vek and band. Geek noir.

The tracks come flooding, both old and new. Nothing But Green Lights is met with absolute rapture and the crowd go hard, howling like banshees during the bridge. At this Vek can't help but crack a Cheshire cat beaming smile of appreciation. Although admittedly not the best vocalist, with a Steve Malkmus esque drawl and a Bez style dance, Tom Vek does bring the noise. Despite not being the chattiest of chaps, he is certainly entertaining as he pogos around, nods, winks and smiles, clearly loving these tunes as much as his crowd does.

When he does finally address the crowd and thank his fans they howl so hard you’d think you were at Obama’s inaugural. For the encore A Chore plays - but where is Vek? The girl from the music video comes on stage and mimes as he sings off stage. Showmanship and style clearly don’t fade with time.


Tom Vek is playing Bestival as well as Leeds and Reading Festivals this summer.



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Words: Lucie Grace Trotman

http://www.myspace.com/tomvek

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