Faction Records Showcase: The Marshal Stars, Angels Of Mons, The Immediate, DC Pakt

Marking the start of a nationwide tour, and kicking off the first night of a weekly residency at Voodoo Lounge, the Faction records inaugural bash lived up to the promise of the label's first release, Faction 001. Despite the eleventh hour loss of headliners Republic Of Loose, the respectably-sized crowd were more than entertained by opening act and super subs DC Pakt. Looking like The Ramones and sounding not unlike Kings Of Leon, the Pakt rock like it's 1977 – hard to believe they’re only together since January. The Immediate followed, coming across like three bands rolled into one. Constantly changing the line-up on stage, they’re quite reminiscent of The Beta Band. One minute the singer is the drummer. The next he’s the bassist, while the bassist takes the guitar, etc. It makes for a wildly varied set that is one part laid-back rock, the other in-your-face punk.
Which leads us nicely to Angels Of Mons, who are all about punk attitude and grunge noise. Tonight, they finally began to live up to the hype. Tracks like ‘Jennifereal’ and ‘Sounds’ were delivered with a stinging power.
The Marshal Stars also shone, having honed their bluesy punk riffs and dogged melodic shifts to perfection (although bassist James O’Brien may want to work on his mid-set party piece, a sort of leprechaun dance!). Singer Michael John’s ability to steer a tune is the Stars' secret weapon. Raw enough to rock, yet fluid enough to convey emotion, his vocal particularly stood out on subtler tracks such as ‘The Simple Things’. Stunning.