The Mysterines
Electric Ballroom

 LONDON’S Electric Ballroom is often the stepping stone to greater things. With a capacity of 1,500 it’s a venue for bands that are causing a stir.

Liverpool’s The Mysterines are just that.

Having only just released their debut album Reeling to widespread acclaim, they’re taking their brand of blues rock to the masses.

Coming on stage to the Velvet Underground’s Venus in Furs and a burst of bright light, they’ve definitely got ambition and elan, and the first few tracks go down well with much audience applause.

Live, their sound is much more blues-rock driven, missing the good grunge edges on the album.

For the first few tracks that does not matter. In My Head touching on mental health is a highlight, Old Friends Die Hard has some arch lyrics delivered in a honeyed voice and is backed by a tight rock edge.

The focus remains very much on lead singer/guitarist Lia Metcalfe although she remains a bit rooted to the spot during the show, perhaps betraying some nerves.

Track after track pushes the formula, mixing some Band of Skulls, and a bit of The Black Keys for a strong dose of blues rock which is good, but not revolutionary.  

The band are tight, but it is a performance rather than a showcase, and perhaps they need to react more to the audience. Stand out track Life’s a Bitch (But I Like It So Much) goes down well, and is followed by a singalong to All These Things, before the set ends a bit muted with album closer The Confession Song.

Metcalfe returns alone with her acoustic guitar for the encore, again it’s good but just needs some more behind it. Then joined by guitarist Joni Samuels from support band Fraulein, Metcalfe performs a cover of Be My Baby which does not take the track anywhere new.

And that sums up the gig, this is a band with a strong musical grounding, good potential, but perhaps needing to take a few more risks.