Top Entertainment Value
Initially Akira The Don look like a bizarre outfit to support the poetic pop of The Indelicates; Akira is ostensibly a track-suited rapper with blonde blonde locks that make him look like he comes straight from Goldie Lookin Chain. Unfortunately he's also Welsh, which makes the comparison look rather cheap, but it's a necessary one. It's obvious that Akira are going to be entertaining the minute they kick off with the jaunty track, 'Thanks For All The AIDS', a brief history lesson with some politics thrown in delivered in a cheeky package of hip hop/pop crossover. Akira is quick to engage in banter with the audience, moving onto the topic of rapper Nasty, whose father he tells the audience, has been hospitalised, before coercing the crowd to hold 10 seconds of silence for Nasty's dad and launching into new track, 'I'm Not Dead, (Yeah!)', a move, which he gleefully tells us is totally unplanned. Spontaneity appears to be Akira's strong point, so this is easy to believe and the track is an upbeat grungey indie delight.
There's something completely endearing about Akira's desire to chat with the audience, frequently being nagged by singer Mary to get on with some singing, and a friendly shambolic nature seems to engulf the whole band as they discuss which tracks they actually know the words to. It would be impossible to characterise the band as anything, one minute they're singing about werewolves and plumbers and the next they're amazing you by being possibly the only musicians ever to sing about how great it is to get up in the morning on "Oh What A Glorious Thing". Akira's mix of pop mixed with hip hop beats, samples and the gorgeous vocal mix of both Akira and Mary's vocals goes down fantastically and the sunny tunes even veer towards the rockier at times, creating some mellow moshpits near the stage.