Melee
7th August 2008
I’m going to be straight with you and just get it off my chest … Melee are blooming fantastic. There, the tone of this blog has been set.
You would never guess these four young men from Orange County California, had only just released their debut album. This carefully crafted melodic sound influenced by Elton John and John Legend will force even the most reluctant wallflower to bust some moves on the dance floor.
Melee’s confidence in their own ability is clear as they played around on their instruments fitting rifts of Jungle Boogie and playing to the crowd singing The Proclaimers’ Scottish anthem 500 Miles.
Front man Chris Cron had a big voice for his little frame as he sang a mixture of soon to be pop tunes and catchy ballads.
He described the gig at Cabaret Voltaire as: “Totally unexpected, I thought there might only be about 5 people here. Such a fun crowd I had a great time.”
This is a band for everyone and it was shown in the diverse range of age and sex of the crowd. Nobody could resist having a wee dance,
it was like a family party down the front as people where flung around by their partners.
Melee’s music is totally unpretentious and I could imagine it playing at 60th birthday parties as well as a school discos across the country.
Melee are going to be huge someone should tell everyone. To show I am not the only one gushing about this band here are some more first timers who were in the crowd:
“Absolutely fantastic….A diverse set and good crowd dynamic” – Martin Gould, 21, London
“I would definitely recommend it to anyone” – Ian Rogers, 20, North Hampton
“Blown away, I’ll never forget it” – Niamh 0’Donavan, 28, Ireland
words: Fiona Gardner
photo: John Sault
