Official Secrets Act @ Luminaire, Kilburn
 
15th May 2009 

By Ben Edgell
 
Catch them if you can. North-London art-poppers Official Secrets Act have barely set foot in Blighty since the March release of debut longplayer, Understanding Electricity – a vibrant clutch of new wave with a wistful British core. Since then, a hectic tour with pop-punk outfit Art Brut has seen OSA trek across Europe, honing their brand of eclectic synth-pop for a slew of festival performances over the summer.  

Tonight, OSA return to the homeland for a one-off stint in Kilburn, slicing up a selection from the album for a packed-out Luminaire. And, whether it’s the venue’s close-quarters energy – Luminaire heaves at little over a hundred, with a throng of moshing indie faithful just two steps from the stage – or a tour-led rethinking of their sound, OSA’s upbeat pop is newly infused with a tightly-fitting grit and, compared to the record, works harder to eke out the drama of their darker, melancholic turns.  

Opener So Tomorrow leads with a stomping bassstaccato and kickdrum vitriol, every beat tapped out in return by the eager feet of a receptive Camden crowd. On record, this track smacks of Ultravox’s Sleepwalk – a pacey synth meter, but lacking true depth; but live, it’s a seething nest on which to lay Tom Burke’s vocal, which swoops in with an assured English charm, wonderfully placed between the clippy drone of Editors’ Tom Smith and the funky smarm of ABC’s Martin Fry. Add to this a dash of Brian Molko, and you’ve got the angst underpinning Momentary Sanctuary – a swerve towards a straighter indie that’s at once maudlin, yet rousing. Although worth a listen on the album, it’s only on stage that OSA can deliver the drama required to bring this blend together. And this new depth carries into a richer feeling Bloodsport (replete with all-original, jerky art-rock dance from bassist Lawrence Diamond), and a jangled re-imagining of recent single, The Girl From the BBC.  

All this is essential tweaking for a band skirting with the breakthrough – for, while they’ve drawn excited chatter from a host of indie luminaries, OSA’s studio oeuvre can feel overly lightweight in places. ’Electricity blends some of the best of the retro-pop zeitgeist, but it also sees OSA fail to shake off an unerring sense of whimsy. Thrust on stage, OSA pull away from their 80’s forebears and add a post-synth edginess that opens out their sound. For case in point, see the band’s MySpace for Bloodsport (109 Mix) – seedier, filthier, and darker than the clean-cut album track, and all the more wonderful for it. That’s the OSA that dropped in on Kilburn – let’s hope the same band return this summer.