SUPER TENNIS/GIANT PAW, LONDON BUFFALO BAR

Read the article on channel 4 music here...

We've often reflected that there isn't enough sport in music, so when we heard about a band called Super Tennis, we thought we had better dispatch our roving reporter Harold Shiel to the field of play to find out the score.

In the sporting corner of London that is Highbury, the first set (WARNING: excessive tennis puns to follow - Ed) of the night comes from Giant Paw: a mind-bending collective of conspiracy theorists who probably spend their spare time searching for the beast of Bodmin Moor.
After littering the stage with terrifying monster masks they proceed to plough a musical furrow somewhere between late eighties no-wave and early nineties rave (Neu Order anyone?). The results are literally astounding, although at times it sounds like three records playing at once, never a good thing.

Bob, Tom and Kev from Super Tennis hardly rule the stage, but their finely-crafted songs float between intricacy and agit-pop fun, replete with claps and cries for the kids to latch onto. The girls are soon swooning and despite over-indulgence on the knob twiddling, the simple pop melodies are 'ace'. (You've been warned - Ed)

Drummer Bob dedicates the gig to The Bill's troubled PC Reg Hollis before serving up opener 'Deuce Love'. After a playful start the song opens up into an epic flourish, rumbling in the stomach and swirling around the room.

A few songs later a Magic Number bustles about the venue smiling at everyone. Perhaps bewildered by the beaming smile, the band realise they don't know how long they're on for, and with no one stepping up to tell them otherwise, they threaten to play ten more songs.

Tonight's standout is 'Super Tennis Theme', which has a marching beat and claps to get the crowd moving and singing like Sir Cliff Richard on Centre Court. "S-U-P-E-R T-E-N-N-I-S T-O-N-I-G-H-T" they cry in unison before thanking each other rather than the crowd, and we file out into a volley of rain full of love. (You're fired - Ed)