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To simply lump the Stereophonics into the same lush, acoustic heavy pop category as Coldplay, Travis, and Powderfinger would be unfair, but to say they completely standout on their own would be inaccurate. Indeed, the Stereophonics fit quite nicely into the latest wave of Brit-inspired pop coming over to the states, but they’ve been sticking to their guns, diversifying their repertoire over the last five years, despite only receiving major mainstream popularity over the last year in the U.S. 

The group came to the states as part of a rescheduled fall tour in support of their latest V2 album Just Enough Education to Perform. It comes on the heels of the widely embraced Performance & Cocktails disc, which propelled the band to unparalleled popularity in the U.K. Oddly enough, that fanfare hasn’t caught on quite as rapidly in America as it has in their homeland. The group is used to headlining sellouts and conquering prestigious spots on festival bills (including Reading, Leeds, and Glasgow) but only filled the 1,200 capacity Metro when in town. 

Nonetheless, the Stereophonics came brimming with charm and filled the club with captivating harmonies and a no frills attitude. Lead singer Kelly Jones spoke to the crowd for no more than 30 seconds of their 90-minute set, simply thanking them for coming and encouraging all to have a blast. And thanks to a solid set list, the entire room full of people echoed those sentiments. The group seemed to pick just the right selections from their latest project, which at times is brimming with brilliance, but occasionally lags with boredom. At the Metro, the band concentrated on the catchy and quirky “Everyday I Think of Money,” “Watch the Fly Sundays,” and “Step on My Old Size Nines” while exploding into “Vegas Two Times” and simmering down for “Have a Nice Day.” “Just Looking” and “T-Shirt Suntan” were appropriate choices from “Performance & Cocktails” placed back to back in the set. Even more entertaining was the band’s stripped down acoustic cover of Rod Stewart’s “Handbags and Gladrags.” “This is a song that inspired us a lot so we thought we’d put our spring on it,” prepped Jones.

It’s hard to say if the Stereophonics will ever gain the popularity they’ve grown to enjoy in Europe, even though that clearly doesn’t matter to them. I don’t blame them in fact. Why would they want to be on the American pop charts with the latest boy bands, Britney’s pointless quipping of not really being a girl anymore nor a woman yet, and the one hit wonder brigade of hardcore clones?