To anyone unfamiliar with the Swansea-formed, North London-based Trampolene, they could appear to be another mid-noughties indie revival heard-it-all-before bore, three guys with shaggy haircuts wielding guitars in skinny jeans, but as soon as frontman Jack Jones opens his mouth, it is obvious that ‘Pigeon Detectives part two’, they are not. They came on to the Koko stage with a spoken-word poem, Jones proudly wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘product of the welfare state’, unafraid to a make it clear they are a band with something to say. They began a compelling and visceral alt-rock show with the raw and raucous ‘I Don’t Know’. To the questions, “Why am I dieting?/Why are we rioting?” Jones retorts “How come you’re asking me?/Do I look Like I’ve got a degree?” and there’s a sense of a sarcastic mocking of tabloids, in defence of frequently questioned and blamed youth. Jones is a punchy and poetic voice for a generation, who seem to be catching on because Trampolene have amassed a pretty large and engaged crowd for a pre-album support act. First impression from their natural swagger onstage and the cool exuding from the band’s every sound is that Jones is a ready-made rock star, but as the frontman (quite rightly) says, anyone can be cool. Right now everyone with a guitar is being quoted as saying there are no real rock stars any more, but if what they are missing is bombastic egotism, Trampolene aren’t lining up to fill the gap, instead they are breaking down the barrier of arrogance. ‘Alcohol Kiss’ (listen below) was another intricately chaotic storm of a song, counteracted with the more delicate and evocative ‘Swansea to Hornsey’, that captured the sadness and hope of leaving a place you call home and going somewhere new. ‘Foolish and Hungry’ was a candid acoustic song that played with ideas of beauty and money with a deliberately unpolished sound. It contains a great line: “I gave my soul to rock’n’roll/She won’t marry me”, and watching the band play it’s apparent that they really have put their souls into the music they make and that maybe they are foolish (and hungry) making songs available for free download online. You can catch Trampolene at Koko again later this summer as they have just announced a Friday-night residency, commencing on 26 June and continuing through the next three Fridays before concluding on 17 July.