Hail, hail, Rake'n'roll!

A rocking night with The Rakes at le Botanique. Playing in the Witloof Bar on the final night of the annual les nuits Botaniques festival, the up-and-coming London four-piece, currently making waves with the excellent single, 'Retreat', treated a small but enthusiastic crowd to an adrenaline-charged set.
Taking to the stage after the competent-but-a-little-dull Arker (imagine a French-speaking Billy Corgan fronting musos who want to sound like the 2nd Strokes CD and you have some idea of what they are about), The Rakes quickly built up a head of steam with their taught, sinuous new wave/post-punk/mod revival-influenced rock. Despite wearing their influences on their sleeves (the words 'The Buzzcocks' handwritten on a sticker on a speaker; frontman Alan Donohoe dancing like Ian Curtis), the band manage to join those reference points together in a way that feels fresh, the sarky first single, '22 grand job', being a case in point. That was one of the highlights of a high-octane performance, the best part of which was the stage invasion by a group of the group's teen fans during 'Strasbourg' (the second single). Great to see that kind of reaction. And great to see the band happily mingling with their audience after the show. Judging by the consistently high-quality of tonight's set, the debut album, due in August, could be one of the best of 2005.