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And this isn’t last month’s thing as Toupie (vocals, keyboards and sax), Renarde (synths, vocals), Kokoboy (guitar, vocals) and Kiddo (drums) take their lead from electro punk popstars in addition to taking their name from a pre-war Manchester gang ‘The Napoo’!

The NME have labelled them “Topshop-electro-pop-punk from the Champs-Eleysees” but they sound more like Claire Grogan 80s fashion victims as ‘June’ bounces along a synth-pop new wave drum beat. ‘Baden Baden’ keeps it Peel, “on tonight’s session from Koko Von Napoo we have” and ‘Rocky’ is a slow pogo with a big hair disco handclap finish.

The set ends with a remix of ‘Polly’ by favourites of Modular and Kitsuné, the quartet of Laperdrix, De Maria, Galinier and Vialla that are collectively known as Chateau Marmont. Again, looking back to a time of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and Jean-Michel Jarre, this is very pop and more radio friendly than label mates Crystal Castles and Kasms (but still in the same ball park).

Should be fun live and you might have seen them recently at Adam Freeland’s Yard Part at Cargo a couple of weeks ago or getting excited about seeing them on 24th July their at the Secret Garden Party; where’s that then? (see links below) just before the single is released..

Reviewed: Koko Von Napoo - June EP (Trouble Records) Cat. No. DUDE010 Release date: 27th July 2009
Tracklisting:
1. June (2:42)
2. Rocky (4:07)
3. Baden Baden (3:29)
4. Polly (Chateau Marmont Remix) (4:00)

Links:
www.myspace.com/kokovonnapoo
www.last.fm/music/Koko+Von+Napoo
www.troublerecords.co.uk
www.myspace.com/troublerecordings
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden-Baden
The Gangs of Manchester: The Story of the Scuttlers, Britain’s First Youth Cult (Paperback)
by Andrew Davies (Author) www.amazon.co.uk “An interesting topic, which shows that society never really improves! I remember my old Dad telling me about the Napoo gang in Hulme Manchester during the 1920’s. Apparently these guys didn’t fight with knives, they fought with coal grids!” Bill