Alvvays, with their tour buddies Moon King, are finally on British shores. Armed with emotional hearts and thick rimmed specs, the band took on a sold out Bodega.
Support came from Moon King, whose jangly guitars added a surprisingly refreshing touch to the current fad of psych-rock. With a pixie-looking lead singer and shoegaze sound, ‘dreamy’ hits the band’s performance on the head. Their drum-driven set closer was an undoubted highlight. If Moon King continue to develop their combination of cutting rhythms and dreamy pop then they could make a real name for themselves as the year goes on.
Opening their set by asking for tips on finding the best British chocolate bar, Alvvays seemed very aware of their status as Canadian tourists.
Opening their set by asking for tips on finding the best British chocolate bar, Alvvays seemed very aware of their status as Canadian tourists. After a couple of shouts of Yorkie and Mars bar the band went into playing ‘Next of Kin’.
Their UK breakthrough single and arguable trump card, ‘Archie, Marry Me’ was played surprisingly early. Seeming to misjudge the popularity of songs, ‘Party Police’ was left until late and the band tried for a singalong, to little avail. Regardless, all songs were very warmly received, having had one of the most successful alternative debuts of 2014 their setlist was full of familiar favourites for the audience.
With the inevitable effect of a band sounding more distorted live, the closeness of the sound to their late 80’s influences was magnified. Underlined by the cover of The Primitives’ ‘Out of Reach’ for the encore, at points the gig did verge towards sounding like a C86 disco.
Their melancholy nature packs a heavy punch- allowing members of the audience up to their 60’s to feel like angst filled teenagers
Aside from their ties to the late 80’s, Alvvays remain defined by Molly’s soft, emotive voice drenched in a comforting blanket of guitars and synths. Seeing the band live, their melancholy nature packs a heavy punch – allowing members of the audience up to their 60’s to feel like angst filled teenagers.
Photo by Shaun Gordon Photography
Ian Fillingham
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