Bringing you the best in new indie/electronic music the city has to offer ‘til the wee small hours, New Blood Club returned for a second talent packed outing, and boy were expectations high after it’s sell out debut. EMILIO PINCHI kicked off the evenings proceedings to a room Emilio described as “cosy”. Part of the folksy singer-songwriter scene that has sprung up of late post-Ben Howard, depressingly beautiful songs about being drunk strangely felt like the morning after a big lover’s tiff made up the majority of his set, adding to a largely downcast feel to his set. My personal highlight- slow burner Fireworks- made up for some clumsy lyrics with a fabulous mumbled Sebadoh-style melody.
Taking the downbeat feeling in a rather different nature, POLAR PICNIC’s gentle piano intro very, very slowly built up with some textural bass and two rolling, crescendoing drums, post-rock stylee. Sadly, most of the songs blurred into one big song (unless it really was one long song, in which case bravo) and the lyrics were for the most part impressionistic (yet oddly emotive). Despite- or maybe because of- their intensity, the set dragged somewhat by its end, although the round of Happy Birthday for singer Mario provided some light relief.
The joyously dirty, southern-fried R’n’B and winding G-funk synths of ORIAN’s could not have been a bigger change from the muso leanings of the Polar Picnics. Full of top choruses, Piece of Me was pure-Motown through an indie. Caught Out There, a cover of Kelis’ hit from way back when, featured a properly decent rap from backing singer Eunji Chu, and the erm... memorable chorus ‘I hate you so much right now’.
Packing the Hold’s tiny stage with 9 white clad members, THE WRETCHED PEARLS “quite sad, quite epic” jazzy psychedelia wowed the audience. Monkey and By the Sea being prime examples of the psych hodge-podge of squalling J Mascis-style guitars, keyboard lines not heard since the ‘60s and playful Seeds-esque melodies. However, the atmospherics of new single One Note was a runaway favourite, if only for its ramshackle out-of-the-blue clarinet solo and electronic beats.
Being the “world’s biggest Genesis tribute act” was in all in a day’s work for headliners JAZZHANDS, despite sounding like more like a jazz band covering Let Me Entertain You in a black metal riot- as opposed the band who bequeathed Phil Collins to the world- for most of their set. Most of their songs came across more confrontational performance art than music per se; especially when during Gold, best described as sounding like a 747 taking off, the dreadlocked-fellow in orange Lycra beat the floor up with two bin-lids. Overall, Jazzhands were exhausting but jolly good fun. On a final note, big up the DJ- whoever plays Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Backstreet Freestyle’ and LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Daft Punk is Playing in My House’ in quick succession is alright by me.
