Live review from NME (week ending 1st May):

The Others in London

Venue: Whitechapel Rhythm Factory
Date: April 15th

One of the biggest cliches NME gets shouted down its ear by beery-breathed PRs at bad indie rock gigs is (yeah, I know the sound is bad... but the singer's a total star) yeah, sorry you hopeless fucking liar, but how are they a star? The fact is that 95% of all new, hyped 'singers' are talentless pieces of shit who don't deserve to breathe - let alone get backstage blowjobs at Dudley JB's every week until the end of time.

There's been much talk about the 'star quality' of The Others' singer Dominic Masters. This is totally wrong. Even though their debut single 'This Is For The Poor' got hyped up the arse by Xfm and their rabid fanbase of scruffy, druggy urchins grows bigger and bigger daily, Dominic Masters has as much supposed 'star quality' as you or I. Well perhaps less than me, but definitely as much as you. He dresses badly but he looks great, he can't sing but his voice sounds amazing, he can't dance and mumbles a lot but, tonight, he has 450 people in the palm of his hand. Wow.

Songs such as 'How I Nearly Lost You' and 'Almanac' document love, life, death and sex in the doldrums of this country. They sound like Joy Division or The Cure if they were Oi! bands, ie, beauty and angst with no airs or graces. Halfway through tonight's gig he dedicates a song "To my boyfriend. Bless his little cotton socks" and waves to a statuesque blond girl offstage. Or is she? No ordinary boys here.
by ANDY CAPPER