CAMBRIDGE: Green Mind @ The Portland Arms

TUE 20TH MAR, 2012 8pm

"Summer Camp are one of those bands who could go pretty much wherever they wanted to – tunes huge enough to polish into coffee table-collapsingly successful parent-pop, but also possessed of a scratchy indie sensibility that could ensure a life measured out by collectable seven-inches. But what route will rock’s cutest couple, guitarist Jeremy Warmsley and singer Elizabeth Sankey, take?

Er, who knows – they’re still unsigned – but this debut EP, as well as being a rollicking listen itself, is giving us hope that they’ll simply stick to the vision that Jez’s impeccable geek-chic spectacles are giving him so far.

These six songs have been birthed in the bedroom of J and E, which has managed to snare their hazy romantic headspace perfectly. The choruses are sweet and enormous – the girl group-y ‘Ghost Train’ verging on the anthemic and opener ‘Round The Moon’ not far behind – while the concept they’re wrapped around – characters from ’80s cult teen films Heathers and Sixteen Candles crop up in ‘Veronica Sawyer’ and ‘Jake Ryan’ respectively – never feels overbearingly twee.

We’ve heard mutterings about characters behind the band contriving to turn them into a dinner-dress up-front act, presumably with Jez and the live band in black rollnecks and slacks. And thank God they’ve refused to go the anonymous backing band route, because, bless her, Liz isn’t exactly Marina in the lungs department. This is a good thing – here, washed with bedroom production, her croons may be a touch shaky, but it just adds to build a sense of screwy romance lacking in their live show. It’s a gust of chillwave-fresh air. Just wonder what these two will roll out of bed and make tomorrow. 8/10" NME