But could they deliver the same energy for a whole set? Did they get their goo on?
In the words of Perry Davies, "Yes aye!"
Before proceedings had kicked off, a most unassuming set of boys milled about the stage. The BBC programme had, in my view, made them look much older, but seeing them in the flesh revealed how young they were.
That said, the performance was anything but amateurish. The level of professionalism in their sound, in their stage presence and in their crowd interaction were all far above many stadium-filler's standards. Despite some feedback issues at the beginning, the pain of which made apparent by the grimaces on Jack's face, the set combusted into life.
Three-part harmonies, jungle drums and a swinging, writhing guitar riff surfing a wave of fat, fuzzy bass - that is the sound of Houdini Dax. Quiet, intimate pauses smashed to pieces by filthy, stinking riffs and a 'fuck-that's-catchy-as-fuck' hook. Each song drew you in, and something always caught your ear; a guitar twiddle, a wandering bass line, the accuracy of the harmonies. There wasn't a filler in the set - each song was played as if it was their latest single and due to go apoplectic in the charts.
I learned a lot watching Houdini Dax. They threw West End theatrics into We Are Scientist-esque madness; picture Laurel and Hardy hog-tying and beating Alex Turner with bowler hats and umbrellas. It's funny, it's intriguing, and it works like nothing I've seen before. No key change is too daunting; each song transition is as fluid and tangible as silk. I'm stealing as many things as possible to use in my own bands, and that's the highest compliment I can pay them. These are giant slayers.
I've never been toyed with as an audience member so much in my life - pauses extended into unsure bursts of applause, before another onslaught puts a finger to everyones' lips and leaves their jaws on the floor. The Houdini Dax boys know exactly what they are doing, and you adore it. They play more mind games than an ex-girlfriend, and you scream and beg for more.
Relatable, quirky, and utterly sublime, this short set by Houdini Dax projected them out of the realms of 'a band from Cardiff' and into the coveted space of favourite performances that I keep so closely guarded in my head. A dash of sharp lemon in a warm, flat Coke world.
What is Houdini Dax's sound?
Take a healthy dose of (good) Beatles, and add a Lee Evans-esque personality; We Are Scientists meets Monty Python, Eagles of Death Metal testicles beneath early-Arctic Monkeys observation. Blend together, and then polish until you can see your face in it. Tighter than a badger's badger, and a fair bit more entertaining. Top marks.
If I find the person who stole all of their equipment, I will castrate them on site.
https://www.facebook.com/houdini.dax?fref=ts
http://www.houdinidax.com
@HoudiniDax
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/C9xznR7XpdYJykPJfkTTy4/houdini-dax
https://soundcloud.com/houdini-dax
