It’s a rare Saturday night gig, not a deliberate thing but they seem to be rarer and rarer these days. Got there reasonably early to see support act Nadine Shah but for me it was a bit of a racket. I grew up on rock music but this was bass heavy and guitars were just a thrash. I like Nadine and have their albums but it didn’t work for me tonight.
After a stunning review from my regular gig going companion, ‘Monster Energy Drink’ Andy at their Somerset House show and on the back of their great album from this year I was really looking forward to this show.
It’s a sparse set with just a faux moth eaten white curtain as the backdrop and front lit to create moody shadows throughout the night as the band are a constantly moving, whirling dervish of a collective. Its difficult to categorise what the music is but with the setting tonight I am dubbing them hip Goth.
It’s the usual three lead men but they are ably supported with two female singers that provide another layer on top of their often complex sounds. At the heart though is a driving beat that underpins the vocals and carries along the message of many of the songs tackling issues of the day.
At times it’s just simply mesmerising with the five singers all with their own style and personality swapping vocal duties, providing subtle harmonies or sharing joint leads prowling across the whole breadth and depth of the stage. It’s exhausting just watching them but you can’t help but be taken along this 100ft sonic wave transfixed by the sound and visuals.
Of course this is difficult to sustain across the whole eighty minutes and there are some inevitable lulls for me which can expose a little sameness to some of the tracks. It’s a minor quibble though and these guys must be one of the most vibrant visually stunning bands out there at the moment. The last twenty minutes was an absolute masterclass in their craft and worth the admission price alone.
Keep on hip gothing rockin’ y’all