Millionaire & Span, London 100 Club November 2002



Y'know those gigs that start off absolutely rammed, and see the audience gradually fizzle out throughout the evening, completely the wrong way round?? This is one of those gigs. The not-so-beautiful people are out in force tonight for a gig that features 3 of Europe's best bands strutting their stuff in the sweatbox that is the 100 Club yet half of them left before the headliners even hit the stage.

The Swedish/English Siamese get things moving with a highly retro set - put simply, they sound like Blondie. Exactly like Blondie. There's not much else you can say. It sounds great, we're not complaining... just don't expect progression.

However. Imagine if, for one brief flickering moment in the early 90s, Chris Cornell had stopped mid-riff to consider his lot in life, and come to the conclusion that it was time to stop sorrowing and start partying. Blessed be, for one sunny day in a remote corner of Norway, it actually happened. Probably. In an alternative tale, 4 blokes got together and decided to start a band called Span. This is rock for seriously sexy people. Frontman Jarle has more than a little of the Jagger in him, and he fronts a very fucking tight outfit. You've got the blistering kick-to-the-head guitar-wielding that marked Soundgarden out, but delivered with teasing panache, slowed right... the... fuck... down........... until buh-BAM, they slam back into rawk mode. The devil resides in these riffs. The band meanwhile will be stars. Depend on it.

Cut to 25 minutes later, and inexplicably, everyone seems to have fucked off. This is clearly wrong, for Belgium's Millionaire are due onstage any minute now. Spinning fast, aggressive, electroclash genius, Millionaire really should have a packed room watching them. This is every riff Queens Of The Stone Age haven't gotten round to writing yet [no small coincidence in their support slot with them then], spliced with the grooves that Soulwax dream about in their haziest dreams and darkest nightmares. This is pulsating rhythm, fucking itself from behind while the whole room [such as it is] watches. It's tight, cohesive and damn good. Give them a few months and they'll fill rooms three times this size.