Caught Live: Wild Beasts, Villagers, Lone Wolf

Maybe Ragged Words aren't getting out enough but frankly we're a bit surprised Wild Beasts have so thoroughly sold out The Academy. There's such little room among the 850 that have squeezed through the doors that apparently Domino Records part-owner Harry Martin, whose bands are topping tonight's bill, is having trouble gaining entry. Assuming Martin did eventually sneak in - a couple of 16-year-olds would likely have had to sell their tickets after having little joy convincing the doormen of the validity of photocopied passports - he would have been mighty proud. Not only did Wild Beasts utterly own the night but Villagers confirmed what us locals have suspected for so long, that something special's about to happen.

We shouldn't forget about Lone Wolf either because until Grizzly Bear, Midlake et all head for Cork in June, you won't find a better line-up in the county this year. Kicking off at the stupidly early time of 7.30 means the Wolf is unfortunately very much alone but he is soon noting that for "a small crowd, we make a lot of noise." That's because the introduction we are given to The Devil & I, Lone Wolf's debut due out on Bella Union in May, is a pretty enthralling one. Given Lone Wolf is the name under which Leeds' Paul Marshall now trades under - his 2007 solo outing Vultures remains a fine record - we're not all that surprised but boy does his voice sound good. It's not meant to be one man and his guitar though and Marshall's band, a who's who of Leeds musicians, are for that very reason absent tonight. So while current single 'Keep Your Eyes On The Road' perhaps best illustrates where 'Paul Marshall' ended and 'Lone Wolf' began, we're left to imagine what the grander, recorded versions of songs like 'This Is War' and '15 Letters' will sound like. 

There's nothing left to the imagination as far as Villagers are concerned as Conor O'Brien has his full band in toe tonight. And while O'Brien's star has been deservedly rising of late, it's easy to forget just how good that band are. They're a hugely powerful unit and live favourites like 'Pieces' and 'Ship Of Promises' soar higher than ever tonight, the latter sending a shiver through more that just this writer's spine. In fact most of the set does and there really are few acts capable of stunning an audience so effectively. There's not much more that can be said, mid May's debut album Becoming A Jackal will say it all.

The last time Ragged Words saw Wild Beast live, they were playing to about 60 people in the basement of London's Cross Kings a few weeks after the release of their debut album Limbo Panto. Later that evening Beach House played to even less upstairs. How things have changed. And just as Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally's popularity has rocketed without making any great changes - just significant strides - last year's Two Dancers saw Wild Beasts sacrifice none of their originality in exchange for a their now larger fanbase. Tonight though you can really tell how much their sound has grown. Older, excellent songs like 'Please, Sir' are actually exposed when played next to the likes of 'The Fun Powder Plot' or 'All The Kings Men.' The newer songs shimmer all night. It's a seriously impressive set. Wild Beasts have always sounded like no other band - a friend tonight described them as a cross between Woods, Stereolab and MGMT for goodness sake - however they are starting to sound like one of the bands of our generation.