Friday
night at Jamcafé was a buzzing affair. Standing in the audience for
the whole three gigs is basically a few hours of shuffling into a
better position/avoiding drink spillages. In hindsight, maybe not the
best night to wear heels, but I won't be making that mistake again!
It was very busy evening, and people were just itching to hear some
of Nottingham's musical offerings...
After
sound checking, the stage was graced with THE CADETS, guitar heavy
indie rock five piece with gritty vocals from the lead singer/rhythm
guitarist. Despite being guitar heavy (bass, two electric and a
rhythm guitar), their music had really nice sections, some with meaty
rock passages, others with calmer, lighter fingerpicking work, which
balanced each other out well. I would even say that there could be
more quieter passages where some instruments fall back, as I thought
that when this happened, it was particularly effective. Songs which
stood out for me were 'Deep Red Eyes', 'Who's Gonna Save You?' and
their final song of the evening, 'Rising'. 'Deep Red Eyes' is driven
by a repetitive bass hook, on which the rhythmic vocal part is built,
where the lyrics are demanding in the chorus: “Can't we be together
always?”. The song pushes for answers lyrically and instrumentally,
and the repetitions in the parts only highlight the passion felt
behind the song. Questions continued to be asked in 'Who's gonna save
you?', where the chorus really reiterated the moodiness of the song,
and as all guitars were in tow in this track, it felt urgent and full
of angst, which worked very well.
After
a bit of joking with the band, the audience is prepared for the final
song of the evening, 'Rising'. In this number there were some really
good demonstrations of the vocal capacities of this band, as the lead
singer put down the rhythm guitar and sang solo. His vocals were
gritty and added to the rock influences in the music. However, the
chorus saw the addition of the second vocalist on the lines “make
it double”, which made me smile at its tactfulness. The two vocals
suited each other well, but I would have really enjoyed hearing more
harmonies, as they sing in unison more often than not, but the
harmony sections were well executed and added more depth.
Following
on from THE CADETS are ethereal rock band FIELD STUDIES, who brought
the tone of the evening to an ambient but moody one. 'Blomst' opened
their set, as it does their EP, and was ambient and spacious, with
the reverberated guitars creating a thick soundscape, which was cut
through by the prominent drums. The sharp vocals (no reverb)
contrasted with the instrumental parts delicately, but had an almost
melancholy feel due to their stark exposure. The song speaks of
desperation and passion and is a brilliant opener.
They
followed with a cover of 'There, There' by Radiohead which changed
the pace from the first song by beginning with a driving drum beat on
which the other instrumental parts built themselves. I thought that
they did a fantastic cover, but also feel that the lead vocalist
should trust his falsetto more, the small glimpse I had of it was
truly lovely. Although maybe we can put that down to warming up.
In
'Island' the pace is turned up a notch, as there are lots of things
going on, the parts are all doing something different, and all the
parts are working together in counterpoint. Everything fits and
works, and with the instrumental section changing the pace and
becoming more ethereal, FIELD STUDIES do brilliantly in balancing
spaciousness with activity. It's also worth mentioning that
throughout the set. their bassist is a king of multitasking, juggling
the computer, keys, bass and vocals at any one time. It was
impressive! Their final song 'Mother Tongue' ended their set on a
high, with powerful vocals and a passionate performance. The melodies
are unexpected and feel earnest, which brings the audience in to
enjoy their last song with them. It was a mesmerising set full of
surprises, especially in certain tracks when ambient foundations were
built on with new layers of rock. Their performance was just a joy to
watch.
Finally,
ending the evening were PAPER PLANE CRASH, a trio of drums, bass,
vocals, and electric guitar. They were delightfully grungy,
harnessing a bass fuelled set with an interesting use of chords. The
female vocalist has a mid-low range which she used to her full
advantage. It was great hearing a female musician really comfortable
using this part of her vocals. She had a strong and confident
delivery, playing bass guitar as she sang, which drew the audience to
her. Although grungy, there were pop style hooks at times which
livened the moods and promoted unharnessed dancing by the audience
members, who are supportive in their singing and cheering.
The
deep vocals were contrasted in some numbers by the electric guitar
playing in the higher registers, and although sometimes they felt
distant from each other, they still worked well and are glued
together by passionate drums which keep the songs energetic.
'Barefoot Lies' was one of my favourite songs from their set. It was
announced as their quiet one, and was contemplative and understated,
letting the sad vocal melodies shine through. In the verses, the bass
oscillated beautifully between two notes, which built anticipation
and suspense, which didn't really resolve in an obvious manner, which
helped me to relate to the lyrics regarding being “stuck in the
middle”... it was a beautifully constructed slow number.
Their
final track of the evening was 'Beach Fires', with their guitar riff
reminding me a bit of Nottingham band Loophole Project. It has a more
indie/pop feel to it, and according to the audience, a bit of a dance
anthem. The higher pitched vocals were well suited to the track and
worked well with the guitar melodies. It is also worth noting that
the drummer could barely contain himself throughout the song,
resulting in a very enthusiastic and passionate rise off his chair in
order to drum standing up. It was great to see such enthusiasm, and
also chemistry between the band members as they smiled to each other.
They were well received by an audience who demanded an encore which
unfortunately was not provided, although this allowed me to dash away
to catch my last bus, which I was grateful for! Although I did walk
past three piles of puke and two spilt takeaways on my way to the bus
stop... The joys of a friday night Nottingham, eh?
By Cassia Helme
No comments:
Post a Comment