17/05/2012 | The Tricks – Queen of Hoxton, London

Red Pages Hot 100 favourites for 2012, The Tricks, performed a short but sweet set at Shoreditch’s trendy Queen of Hoxton. In a dark, dingy basement their drummer, Ash Hodge, appeared to be wearing his own band merch, sporting a black and red Tricks t-shirt. Brilliant self-promotion, but unfortunately there was no merchandise stand in sight.

Bursting into second track Remember Me, the boys didn’t stop for banter much. But that’s alright as the catchy, repetitive chorus and riffs meant you certainly wouldn’t forget their tale of pursuing a girl any time soon.Fast paced, poppy guitar number Just For The Summer was a crowd pleaser that went down well. Even more of a favourite was their cover of Santigold’s Disparate Youth. Their breath-taking harmonies were faultless, not something you expect from the average indie-pop band.

Unfortunately this isn’t a clip you can find on YouTube, nor is it available to download, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Or you could catch them live yourself in the coming months. They play three shows in London; again at the Queen of Hoxton on June 9, Purple Turtle on June 30 and at the Garage on July 21.

The Tricks played hard and fast throughout their set which lasted little over half an hour. You couldn’t fault their effort or energy in that short time, but a bit more banter (and some more tracks) would’ve been welcome. Oh well, I guess that means I’ll just have to go and see them again then. Maybe see you at one of their next shows!

www.thetricks.co.uk