CONFIDENCE MAN // STYLUS, LEEDS
Confidence Man give a guide to how to lift spirits in a recession at a Sold Out Leeds Uni
★★★★☆ (4/5)
CONFIDENCE MAN - STYLUS, LEEDS
PHOTOCREDIT: JOHN HAYHURST
The non-stop danceathon starts with the masked duo of Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild arriving in their black ‘beekeeper’ outfits on keyboards/samples and drums, they get the party started with a funky opening rendition of the lead to ‘Toy Boy’, Janet Planet and Sugar Bones then arrive walking onstage wearing these huge fake suits that they are able to manipulate the shoulders to comic effect, they only last this one song before they are released from the shackles and are able to kickstart the most frantic electro disco dancing you have seen since the 80’s.
Janet Planet does not stop and whether she is kicking her legs in the air or spinning around Sugar Bones manly frame, does not seem to break a sweat, constantly on the move from one side of the stage to the other. There is no pausing here as ‘Out The Window’ starts with more high kicks and slut drops than you see on a Friday night at Flares. You find yourself trying to keep up with Janet but forget it, how she keeps it going for over an hour I have no idea. Occasionally she will stop and stare at you as if to say why are you gasping for air – like a disappointed gym mistress expecting more from her pupils.
The momentum keeps going as a costume change approaches and they leave McGuffie and Goodchild to entertain with another extended intro before returning in the Madonna inspired conical light up bra and Sugar Bones in similar styled lit up shoulder pads. Sugar Bones will make a point of taking the shirt off several times during the show, in the height of campness he will also pour water over his chest and hair. Make no mistake this is an over the top, choreographed electro disco dance show, where you don’t take it all too seriously, have a dance, sing along, have a smile on your face and forget about the world for a while.
Confidence Man may have started as a tongue-in-cheek side project, but the sheer energy and joyous celebratory vibe they summon which is fully embraced by those in attendance is genuinely off the scale. It’s one of the most engaging, hypnotic, full-on endearingly bonkers shows you’re likely to see. They race through the tunes at a breakneck pace with tracks from their latest album Tilt making even more sense live than on record, “Feels Like A Different Thing ” sounds biblical as Janet Planet and Sugar Bones prowl and prance about the stage, “Holiday” sounds anthemic whereas earlier tracks such as “Boyfriend (repeat) “and “Don’t You Know I’m In A Band” sound wonderfully unhinged live. The set is a glorious technicolour mix of the off the wall ironic bratty art-pop and good old fashion old skool banging House tunes and you can only marvel at Planet’s ability to leap through the air, spin, contort her body into a variety of mad shapes and carry on singing without missing a beat.
You’d have to have a heart of stone not to come away from a Confidence Man gig without feeling the world is a better place with them in it. It’s a hugely enjoyable life-affirming experience and one which Confidence Man put their hearts souls and bodies into. They finish the deserved encore with a crowd-surfing version of ‘Heaven’ (the DJ Sammy version) and their job here is done as rapturous applause rings out.
I realise I’m being stingy with only 4 stars as this show was another immense performance from Australia’s ‘How to lift spirits in a recession’ demonstration, but we were 1 costume change short (the Cowboy/Western theme) and it only lasted just over 1 hr 15 mins – we could have gone on for much much longer. These dates were added on to the previous TILT tour and their support slot on Noel Gallagher’s last tour, they sold out very quickly, fantastic to see a complete mixture of people, from the average student to more senior folks who probably came across Confidence Man at Live at Leeds In The Park earlier in the year. Make sure you catch a performance soon in your hometown, you won’t regret it.
REVIEW + PHOTOS BY:
JOHN HAYHURST
SETLIST:
STYLUS, LEEDS
TOY BOY
OUT THE WINDOW
WOMAN
WHAT I LIKE
DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD
BREAK IT BOUGHT IT
FLUTE SONG
FEELS LIKE A DIFFERENT THING
C.O.O.L. PARTY
LUVIN U IS EASY
TRUMPET SONG
PUSH IT UP
DON’T YOU KNOW I’M IN A BAND
BOYFRIEND (REPEAT)
HOLIDAY
ENCORE:
RELIEVE THE PRESSURE
HEAVEN