Water Rats, August 2006
There’s a couple squabbling to my left.
“I thought you said they were French?! Like Serge Gainsbourg, you said… you did!”
“…um…”
“They don’t sound very French… I’m going outside for some air.”
“I’ll just stay here for a bit…”
Red-faced gentleman stands in silence as others towards the Water Rats’ rear – well, assuming the band performs at the venue’s front – chatter themselves into a sweat; before us, Stars Of Aviation, the south coast-based (London and Brighton, last we knew) seven-piece wrongly sold as French to the underwhelmed attendee now supping expensive lager outside, struggle to pierce the background hum such rudeness creates. Shuffling awkwardly, between-song banter delivered with a tinge of shyness, the band look, initially, as it they’re about to be totally overpowered by the minority in the house that feel it necessary to talk their way through a set they’ve probably just paid to see. Soon enough, though, all attentions are focused on what’s unfolding on stage.
“This is the b-side to our new single… did we mention that we have a new single for sale? No? Well, erm… this is the b-side…”
Jonny Anstead’s voice fades away as the delicate ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ begins; seconds later he’s duetting with wife Louise and leaving every heart in the house swelled to bursting. A slight song, it nevertheless harbours hefty emotions within its simple frame, and while the subject matter’s an obvious one – the separation of lovers: “I know that my love waits for me, ‘til all the stars fall down” – the heard-it-before story’s told in an entirely engrossing manner.
The a-side, ‘Marie et l'accordéon’, is received without the instantaneous hush of its flipside, but come its conclusion the applause from all and sundry – those indifferent twenty minutes ago are now enraptured by Stars’ sweetly intoxicating indie-pop – is pleasantly deafening. Sung entirely in French – explaining that loud-mouthed young lady’s article-opening confusion – the song is gentle and graceful, but also just as dancing shoe-friendly as the similarly twee ‘Young Folks’, surely the single of this summer. ‘Marie et l'accordéon’ – accordion in place of a wavering whistle – is an essential purchase all the same, and when rendered live leaves all before it dumbstruck with gooey-eyed (eared?) love.
The septet’s Snow On Snow songs, now four years old, are starting to show their age when contrasted with the more affecting nature of Stars’ freshest material on display, but the crowd’s assured that further new songs are on the way. Should the qualities of the mentioned-by-name pair be replicated in a future long-player, expect it to be revered ‘til all the stars really do fall down.
Also expect said sparkling shower to alter the opinion of even the most hard-to-impress chatterbox.
Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound
BBC Norfolk
Wombat Wombat Waterloo Park Walkabout, Waterloo Park, Norwich, July 2005
Stars Of Aviation added to the standard guitars and drums with an accordion player and some keyboards,
and their sound started to veer into a side not seen very often in folk, with a slight experimental edge.
Johnny announced that they “always insist on a moat” at their gigs, referring to the one surrounding
the stage, “in case anyone tries to invade.” The banter of guitarist and vocalist Johnny and keyboardist
Nathan is so deadpan that it becomes funny even when the jokes are appalling and it somehow perfectly
represents the laid-back, summery atmosphere of the audience lounging on the grass.
Wombat Wombat message board
Wombat Wombat Waterloo Park Walkabout, Waterloo Park, Norwich, July 2005
"Shame it didnt pour down with rain and drown out the racket. It may
interest you that a lot of the people who live near Waterloo park are
pissed off with having Sundays ruined by so called 'bands' blasting out.
There will be a formal complaint to City Council about their allowing
public facilities to be used for a rave and legal action for
compensation. If any of the local pubs made this sort of noise they'd
lose their licence immediately"
Let's go baboon
The George Tavern, London E1, May 2005
Stars of Aviation are a band I managed not to watch at Brighton's
Sadstock back in February. They take me back to early 90s delights
of Sarah Records and even further back to Mcarthy and Housemartins.
More recently though think Belle and Sebastian. At times they drift
slightly too far in to the twee, but on the whole this is a nicely
balanced performance. Horns, guitars, girl-boy harmonies, they craft
a great pop song and make full use of the range of instruments and
singers they have. In a fairly difficult venue to concentrate on music,
they captivated the audience [except for a couple in the corner whose
lips never separated the whole night...] and it seemed copies of their
CD was travelling fast. Ones to look out for, lots of potential, excellent. 7/10
Heathen Angel
Truck Festival, Steventon, Oxfordshire, July 2004
I’m going to find it really hard to write a balanced review of this band because they blew me away much like Easyworld
did back in ’01. After reading the band description of Stars Of Aviation, claiming they were similar to Belle and Sebastian,
we rushed over to the Lounge Tent preferring to see their full set rather than the Electric Soft Parade’s. There was soft
vocals, there was a keyboard, a guitar, a recorder and an accordion, it was amazing! The only glitch in the perfection of
Stars of Aviation was some little sound problems which were thankfully soon solved. They were definitely a fantastic
random discovery! 10/10. (Jo Burns)
Berkshire Live music forum
Reading, 3bs Bar and Cafe, April 2004
Hailing from Cambridge, Stars Of Aviation kicked off the night with a set of warm and soothing acoustic-led melodies, probably much more
suited to a Sunday morning than Saturday night, and for me the lack of crowd reaction and constant chatter spoiled the band's heartfelt and
delightful performance. The use of a large accordion and the drummer brandishing a trumpet from under his drum kit surprised me, as did
a screeching sound from the FX table towards the end of one of the band's pleasant songs. Presumably this was meant to add that extra
something to their set but I personally found it a bit irritating. The band looked quite nervous onstage, they are not quite the finished article
yet but nevertheless their sparkling poppy tunes would put them in the same bracket as the likes of Keane, Snow Patrol, Grandaddy and
Belle & Sebastian. Having missed much of their set because of the crowd's unenthusiastic response it'd be nice to see this band at a more
suitable venue, or better still, purchase a copy of their latest EP, "Snow On Snow".
Wide Open Road
Truck Festival, July 2003
I wonder if the Stars wouldn’t prefer to be punting along some Cambridgeshire river at this precise moment, with Helena Bonham-Carter in the
magic-seat picking away at a gooseberry fool as a wet willow branch whips off her hat. Cos it’s not going well for them here as they struggle to
find a working lead or something in the heated anticipation of the Pressure Drop lounge. The soundgirl faffs, the soundboy flaps, the band become
mildly aggressive towards their equipment. Personally I had set my hopes on seeing both the Stars and Black Nielson half hour later on the main
stage, but the former hope is eating up the latter. They begin, eventually, these sensitive-looking literary figures who are surely too fragile a
china shop for the bull of rock’n’roll. Their music is so sweet and beguiling. At one point Nathan, I think, he straps a behemoth of an accordion
to his chest that must weigh more than the combined weight of the entire group. His eyes peep from above the squeeze. It’s just one of many
wild and wandering instruments they produce from pockets and cubby holes in their re-enactment of their excellent recent EP, their quest for
perfect summer pop. I look forward to seeing them again sometime in the future. If only I could say the same for Helena B-C. Sigh.
The Fly
Cambridge Boatrace, April 2002
Supporting Herman Dune and the Clientele
Stars of Aviation don’t look like the pop star types. Skinny as bones and as stylish as your Grandad, they’d not look out of place on a charity envelope for chronic misfits. Still, the sound they create is one of calm artistry – accomplished if not yet perfected.
Acoustic led tracks Snow on Snow and The Greatest Disappointment of the Year showcase the rough class of a band who’ve got a lyrical prowess and tuneful integrity capable of enriching the hearts of a great number. With an album out in the summer, there’s much to look forward to.
soundsxp
Track and Field, May 2002
Arts Cafe, London E1, supporting Herman Dune and the Clientele
Stars of Aviation apologise for not having played before “this many people” and to be honest, they haven’t quite mastered the dynamics of the live set. They start well, sounding like a cross between Scott Walker and Belle and Sebastian, jaunty and melodic with an affable lead singer, but go down a road that is a bit progressive, slightly indulgent and (not wishing to be xenophobic but when did they make any decent music?) French. Before the end of the set they fall back into the arms of melody with their best song “…Is it Going to be Sunny, Carol?” which is light and whispery and quite Belle-ish, with fat keyboard tones. Good name too.
Robots and Electronic Brains
Cambridge Boatrace, 9th November 2001
I find myself enjoying Dead Or Alive on the inter-band tape. Am I getting too old for this lark? Perhaps I should just stay in on Friday nights (let's be honest, I usually do anyway) and listen to an album bought the previous Saturday at Woolworths (but I haven't stooped that low, yet). A compilation, probably, something familiar, something at least 10 years old, something shit but with that look-back buzz. It's appealing, and the thought had already occurred to me when, after getting past the seemingly clairvoyant chap on the door – "Alright mate, I'm on the Stars' guestlist, I'm .." "Yeah, OK." "But .." "That's OK, I know who you are." "But .." "I don't know how, I just know you but I nearly didn't recognise you in that hat."
The radio alarm clock perched on the end of the keyboard shows 12:01 when the Stars of Aviation begin. This is symptomatic. Iron Maiden told us that the time to rock is two minutes to midnight. And they were right. Rock music is all about the build up, the foreplay, the expectation, the clenching of anticipation, the wanting, the wanting, the wanting. Two minutes to midnight is the best time, it's right on the apogee of fulfilment, but it's not quite there yet. Midnight, on the other hand, is shit. It's all over then. It's a let-down. It's when the lovin' spoonful, the 10cc, becomes the damp patch and infinitely less attractive. It's the point at which desire fades and the urge to roll over and sleep takes control. At one minute past midnight, nobody is interested.
Well, most people aren't interested. For those of us in the know, the post-action action is the best action. It lasts longer and it's all about sensuality and pleasure – the lover with a shot load is a much more considerate animal than the horny bastard with an irresistible urge to unburden himself. Which brings us to the Stars of Aviation. Less post-rock, more post-coital, theirs is the quiet glow of enhanced sensation and gentle lovemaking, but also of reflection and insomniac self-evaluation. Yes, it was easy to say you loved her when the words were an abracadabra, but you know you didn't mean it. You know that you won't stay with her, you're worthless, you're going nowhere, you're just keeping up a front and you're having to work harder and harder every day to maintain it.
Greatest Disappointment of the Year, the title track from their only release to date, is the peak of the set. Fuelled by the helpless agony of self-confidence collapse, it burns bright and long, surging and ebbing for the maximum gratification of all concerned.
Except most people prefer the instant hit, and their constant chattering and shrieking from the bar starts to get under the Stars' skin. A hurried discussion results in the band thrashing through an old song whose only redeeming feature is that it is fast and so grabs the audience interest for a couple of minutes. They are clearly disgusted with themselves ("we stopped playing that one months ago, I don't know why we're playing it again," "you're all so dull – is that a pot and kettle situation?") but persevere with a couple of beautiful new songs anyway. Both swirl and slowly coalesce like Mercury Rev on ice. The Stars of Aviation make beautiful music and if tonight's one-night stand doesn't appreciate it, well, there's plenty more birds in the air.
