The Boy Least Likely To (The Warfield, 5 April 2006)

In the 1990’s, indie pop created a subgenre called “twee pop.” According to Wikipedia, twee pop is a “type of indie pop that is known for simple, sweet melodies and lyrics, often with jangling guitars and a noted emphasis on childlike naiveté.” While some bands like Marine Research embraced the title, other bands like Belle & Sebastian wanted nothing to do with it. England’s The Boy Least Likely To fall in the former. Indeed, not only do they embrace the title, but they make love to it.

The Boy Least Likely To played in front of a sold out crowd full of James Blunt fanatics at the Warfield last Tuesday. The Boy Least Likely To is a band created by longtime friends Jof and Peter, along with four other musicians. Their debut album, The Best Party Ever, was released in England last year and will see the light of day in the U.S. in May. Despite their lack of international pop star notoriety, they were so well received in San Francisco that it seemed like they were the headlining band.

The Boy Least Likely To’s set consisted mainly of songs from The Best Party Ever, plus some new tracks. Throughout their set, the band was all smiles and kept the crowd engaged. For example, when the words “San Francisco” was sung by Jof during “I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes,” the crowd was euphoric. So much so that the James Blunt faithful, and the band themselves, were caught off guard.

There were barely any dull moments throughout the band’s short set. In between songs, Jof and Peter would tell short stories, such as when Jof worked in the complaints department of a garden hose factory and Peter worked in a prison. The validity of the story is irrelevant, especially since the crowd was laughing along to their banter.

For the small amount of Boy Least Likely To fans in the audience, their voices weren’t heard until songs like “I’m Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon to Your Star,” “Paper Cuts” and the final song of their set, “Be Gentle with Me” were played. Dizzying lighting effects accompanied “Monsters” which the band described as a song about the occupants of a small town in England. They also played the first proclaimed twee power ballad entitled, “The Battle of the Boy Least Likely To.” Even though they proclaimed this, Peter had doubts about the title, saying that such greatness is reserved for 80’s hair bands.

Overall, The Boy Least Likely To entertained the sold out crowd in magnificent fashion. They not only reinforced their fans, but gained new ones as well.

Beer Rating:

-- Photo: Jason Fong