It’s easy to see A Certain Ratio as a less remarkable sister band to Joy Division/New Order. Sonically, their careers followed a roughly similar path, arriving at a danceable, electronic-based sound, following more industrial, post-punk beginnings.
The Ratio never reaped the same kind of chart success, or critical acclaim; the cruel (yet correct) conclusion to draw from this is that they simply weren’t as good. Tonight will act as testament to that, but it will also confirm that the group are not without charm.
This has the feel of a reunion show, but A Certain Ratio never officially disbanded. Sure, they may not have released a new record for almost a decade now, but they did gig occasionally. The lack of any official split in the band’s history may serve to explain their presence in 2007; if they had gone away, would they have bothered reforming? How many people would have lobbied for it?
Jeremy Kerr’s vocals may go some way toward explaining their failure to cross over. His delivery is flat and lifeless, and very much at odds with the pristine, mechanical textures of their music. None of the dark, commanding qualities Ian Curtis possessed, certainly.
The sound, otherwise, is quite pleasing. It’s cavernous, echoey and danceable – though there aren’t many people dancing. It’s an old crowd, naturally, and their days of ecstasy-induced frugging are well behind them.
The concert begins slowly, but the arrival of Denise Johnson (around one-third of the way through), to provide some serious soul and vocal range definitely lifts proceedings. She’s a proper diva, with an enormous personality – finally this somewhat-monochromatic gig gets a dash of colour, and a pleasing Screamadelica-esque indie-soul vibe.
Most bands like to vary the mood and pace of a show, but not this one. This gig is all continuous forward momentum, as one breathless, locked groove follows another. A good thing or a bad thing? This reviewer will plump for the former. A band’s weaknesses are easy to miss when they possess such a sense of breezy, energetic confidence.