The Research and The Lodger @ Fuzz Club, Sheffield University Union, 13/12/07

There weren’t enough people to witness the live sets tonight, which was a big shame. People must have been saving themselves up for a night of snake bite and dj’s instead of catching some splendid live music from these brilliant acts, travelling all the way from West Yorkshire. The Lodger were as great as ever. With a new drummer since last time I saw them and a new album on the way, the set list was mainly filled with new delights. The band are tight and professional and the only problem is that the minutes fly by too fast. New songs like the delightful, ‘Getting Special’ retain the notable Lodger sound. Personally, I would have liked to have heard more songs from their first album but hey, bands have to move on. At least they played ‘Many Thanks (for your honest opinion)’.

It’s a night of threesomes and like The Lodger, The Research have changed too. Their latest incarnation sees them transform from keyboards to guitars and I have got to admit that I prefer it. Although you may argue that they are now less distinct from your average indie scenesters, the band seem more approachable and I dare say it, commercial. They even have a Christmas song, named aptly ‘For Christmas’. It’s brilliant and shows the band have still retained their unique charm and catchy melodies. Russell gives the audience a choice of which song to play at the end of the set, and the result is ‘Come on Chameleon’. It gets the crowd really going, which by now have finally turned up.