Maybe warming up the bar-hugging crowd with a spot of Eminem was an inspired move for the Mau-Maus. As the biggest pop star on the planet fades out and a slice of 1970s rock guitar blasts out, we're shocked into listening.
Rap is just about the only genre not dissected, rearranged and thrown into the mutant Mau-Maus sound. The as-yet unsigned London quartet are musical magpies, spotting a bright and sparkly influence from 100 yards and causing havoc with it. Though as RTB gets the orchestral treatment, singer Peter de Havilland - hands gripping the mike stand as though he's afraid it'll make a run for it if he lets go - looks more like an intense gap year survivor than an experimental pop provocateur.
There's a vision there somewhere, but as the sound swerves and dips from indie to dance to choral in the space of a second, it's difficult to keep up. Every note takes us somewhere else, never allowing the crowd to rest easy and enjoy the ride.
And that's just the first song. "Do you want it? Do you want it?" de Havilland asks a clearly bemused crowd. "I know you want it," he chuckles before beginning the frugally named Wan It. Just when you thought it couldn't get weirder, in comes a sample of the Star Wars theme matched with a close relative to the Minder soundtrack, the jaunty keyboards quickly dispensed with to make room for some bleeps. Imagine you're at home with a nice video only to be intermittently interrupted by the jukebox in the pub next door and you're close to the key elements of the Mau-Maus sound.
Thankfully, most of the prevalent influences are the right ones. From the backbeat of the Italian Job theme to the drums of Lust For Life, Pat Walters hits those skins with a passion. The Mau-Maus are obviously over the moon with their heady concoction, as guitarist CJ and de Havilland whisper to each other before giggling like kids trying out some dodgy punch at a party.
Their enthusiasm is catching too. One brave girl heads towards the front of the stage and dances her heart out to Disco Suxx, the upcoming first single on Mau-Maus' own label that touches on Bloodhound Gang territory with its singalong retro sound and questionable lyrics. The Mau-Maus are either geniuses or madmen and tonight they've certainly kept us guessing.
