Written for Nottingham Live - original article here.
It's the
PRACTICAL LOVERS single launch, and as the room warms up, and the
people begin to congregate in front of the stage, the audience is
treated to the Clockwork Orange soundtrack, which I can't work out
whether fits or not, I'm going to say it does. The quirky, off kilter
classical music is interesting, and suitably alternative, and the
pieces which are electronically altered fit quite nicely with the
four bands about to take to The Chameleon stage.
As the
first act RAINBOW DOWN began to perform, the room began to fill, not
just with people, but with the intensity of heavily layered angsty
synth pop. Sweetness kicks
off proceedings explosively, with passionately performed vocals
taking main stage over a dense, desperate and dark pop backing track.
The emotion in the performance is obvious, with the amount of
movement and dance on stage, and is engaging and entertaining.
Pollyfiller
begins more sparse, with a different feeling, but still retains the
angst which Rainbow Down portrays so well. During the chorus the
backing track expands, allowing space for the synths to fill the
gaps. The density of the music is powerful, and barely gives you time
to think, you can only feel it. Floating
F**king Fading has
a more traditional pop feel, it's a change of pace, but still retains
the desperation in the tone of the music, and is alternative in terms
of lyrics and delivery. Next up is a techno number, for which Rainbow
Down encouraged the audience to move forward, and to dance to. The
backing track on this one is punchy, with prominent hi-hat beats
pulsing through the thickness of the synths. After this number he
navigates through a few more original pieces, each one well performed
and passionately delivered, before ending with Hammered,
a song about not knowing what happened the night before after a few
too many. Opening with a repetitive, interesting melody crafting the
lyrics “What the
f**k happened last night?”,
it commands the audiences attention. It's a dark song to end on, with
a heavily bass driven backing track, but it works well, and the outro
is a repeat of the intro, which boxes the song, and gives a nice
clean finish to a very raw and passionate performance.
I AM LONO follow, opening with Grey
Kraut,
it continues the angst-pop theme of the evening, with the lead
vocalist going for it on keys, whilst the guitarist provides a great
rhythmic backdrop for the passionately delivered vocals. During the
chorus, lead vocals switch from the keyboardist to he guitarist,
which adds texture, and their vocals really compliment each other.
The keys and backing drops at tactful moments n the track, which
makes them really poignant when they return, and gives the song extra
movement. Leland
follows, and the electric guitar is swapped for a bass, drives the
song with repetitive melodies, which are drilling and mesmeric. The
keys work well with the bass, as they contrast the low tones with
higher pitched melodies, and it fills out the song, making it intense
and emotional. Only
Love
continues this theme, and the intensity of the track is enhanced by
low chords being played on the keyboard which are given movement and
agitation by the heavily strummed guitar. The vocals are well
controlled, and even when the vocal style is shouty it's still
excellently delivered and well thought through, enhancing the music
further and giving it the desperation which works so well. The next
song, In Silence,
reminds me off a lively, layered and ferocious version of The XX. The
sounds are similar, but I AM LONO is edgy and has heartfelt,
passionate vocal deliveries, with music which pushes forward with
force. Too Bright
kicks off with an intense keyboard melody, focusing on only a few
notes, it's paranoid pop at its best. It gives way to gorgeous, deep
vocals accompanied by baggy bass drums in the backing track, which
makes the song feel spacious but busy too. The occasional return of
the keyboard melody is tactful, and shows a careful consideration to
the structure of the entire song. On stage, they're both engrossed in
their performance, and are active, but not so much that it's
distracting from listening to the music. They end their set with
Everything Is Made Of
Fives,
a heavier, darker track which has more weight to it. The rhythmic
vocals are focused around just a few notes, which adds to the track,
giving a feeling of being stuck. The layered, higher pitched drones
in the backing track provide an effective musical method of creating
discomfort, but it's not unpleasant, it's actually very powerful.
They end on a strong song, and I have to take a good few moments to
breath and relax before the next act, who are what the evening is all
about!
PRACTICAL LOVERS take to the stage, with much enthusiasm from the audience, and
open their set with a classic of theirs; Textbook
Romance.
The bass kicks off the track with it's catchy, rising melodies which
are livened up by the rhythm in the backing track. The liveliness of
the song, and the upbeat melodies are a change of pace from the
former bands, and although the lyrics and premise of the song are
sadder, it's very danceable, especially with the addition of the
synths in the backing track. The lead singer is hugely passionate
about the music, and the emotion is bursting out of him with his
aggravated, intense stage presence. Inside
Job
follows, which feels tortured with the repetitive melodies. The
synths in the backing track add to this, by filling in headspace. The
strummed, rhythmic bass pushes the song forward, and is well played
as a lead instrument. Next up, they perform a Future Islands cover of
Long Flight,
which is more angsty than the original, with the deep, heartfelt
vocals, it's given new meanings. The bass continues to be a lead
instrument, however also retains some of the expected features of a
traditional bass guitar. The song becomes truly vibrant when the
bassist ventures into the audience, but the dancing and adventures
didn't distract from the music, and they remained on form. Falling
Down
follows, where the repetitive vocal melodies seem to be stuck on
emotions and memories, and the falling melody in the chorus reflects
the lyrics. I glance behind me, and the crowd is dancing. It's
bittersweet and this evidently resonates with the audience who are
enjoying the set. The song builds towards the end section, where
furiously strummed bass and the intense synths completely fill the
room with musical paranoia and angst. Restless is more fast paced,
with rhythmic bass which is relentless, and feels entirely restless
as the song would suggest. The lyrics are painfully honest; “If
I don't know myself, how am I going to bring someone along with me,
what's wrong with me?”
again it focuses on the difficulties of love and the mind, and how
they often struggle to work together. The song is short, snappy and
over quickly, which again fits in well with its title. Put
It Bluntly
is less prominent in the backing track, which allows for the more raw
sides of the two of them to come through, and without the heavy
synthy overlays, it's blunt, and honest. The rhythm is still strong
though, which gives the song an inherently pop feel, and drives it
forward. Next up, they announce that “it's the moment we've all
been waiting for”, and after some audience banter, they begin
playing the single they're launching; No
Reply.
It's spacious, with an echoey backing track, and baggy drums which
are almost condemning, which suits the nature of the song, condemning
the lead singer to his torment on receiving “no
reply”
to his advances. The feeling in the room is a great one, with
Practical Lovers performing really well, and getting really involved
with it, the audience is with them too, and it's a great atmosphere.
The vocals are deep and are complimented by the interestingly played
bass, which seems to be influenced from the previous use of synths,
and plays a disjointed, jumpy melody in the verses before switching
to strumming in the chorus. It's great to hear this experimental side
of the band coming through too. The instrumental outro is very
intense and desperate, with penetrative oscillating patterns which
heighten the emotion of the music, showcasing the pain behind the
song. The song ends both dramatically and playfully though, with
random plonking on the synth from both the singer and the bassist,
who are evidently enjoying themselves. The music warps and distorts
into the final track of their set Never
Again,
which is a fantastic end to the set, and gets the audience going one
last time. PRACTICAL LOVERS are fantastic live, and are entertaining,
and afterwards you won't know whether you feel happy or sad, but it's
worth it.
Wrapping
things up are APRIL TOWERS, who definitely inject a dose of happy
electro-pop into the evening, which gets people dancing and into the
Friday feeling.Their set up is interesting, with three keyboards,
guitars, and vocals, it's almost like they have a fort of instruments
on the stage. Opening with When
The World Screamed,
the lead vocals feel heartfelt, and a little vulnerable over the
confidence keys and backing track. The vocal melodies are powerful
though, and the vocals are well controlled. The higher pitched
electric guitar passages over the intense synthy backing, which adds
texture and direction, and works really well. Marisol
follows with its distinct samba tones in the rhythm section of the
backing track, but it develops and changes into a full blown pop
song, but with a really chilled vibe. The vocals are strong, and
remain so in the falsetto sections too. It's easy going, with
gorgeous expansive synths making the track feel spacious and relaxed,
but still retaining a strong drum beat which makes the track entirely
danceable. Electric
Storms is
next on the setlist, and with its varied and exciting sections, and
switching between instruments, the pair keep it interesting, and the
sections are very different, which gives the audience new elements to
latch onto. They have a great stage presence, and have good
communication between each other, and are obviously concentrating,
but also very involved with the performance. Arcadia
follows, which also flaunts the singer's falsetto during the
gorgeously dark bridge section, which is a nice contrast to the
previous tracks of the set. The anticipation builds in this track,
before it erupts into the chorus, and builds up the anticipation
ready for the final track of the evening. Tell
Aviv begins
almost anxiously with the heavy, synthy drum rhythms, and a gradually
falling melody in the verse. It builds to an eruptive chorus, with
the melody dramatically rising in pitch for the line “We
get so high when we're together”,
which is clever and also incredibly catchy. The guitar in the verses
also sounds particularly good, and the keyboard layering in the
chorus really recreates the romantic feelings of the song. It's a
fantastic, upbeat end to the set, and appropriately leaves the
audience feeling in high spirits.
By Cassia Helme
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