Another week, another string of gigs for Notts music fans to get stuck into. Here, Impact Music takes a look at the highs – and lows – of the past seven days.
TOY, Rock City Basement (28/11/2016)
Following a somber performance from support act Prince Vaseline, the psyche quartet from Brighton opened their set with the title track off their third album, Clear Shot, released in October. It was a small move away from TOY’s previous albums with fewer extended jams and a couple more catchy melodies. Despite the transformation in their sound, the band’s stage presence was somewhat monotonous and un-stimulating.
“I was left staring at the incongruous disco ball above me, unsure whether they enjoyed giving that performance or not…”
We were three songs deep before the audience were finally addressed, following an undeniably powerful execution of ‘Fall out of Love’ from their second album Join the Dots. Though few words were exchanged, the captivating and artfully composed light show combined with the almost tangible dedication to their musical performance communicated for them. With this, TOY somehow managed to maintain an alluring and hypnotic grasp over the audience while playing songs, new and old, in quick succession for sixty minutes.
It was a set ideal for a small, unenthusiastic crowd and the basement room of Rock City reflected that. When TOY promptly left the stage following ‘Dream Orchestrator’ I was left staring at the incongruous disco ball above me, unsure whether they enjoyed giving that performance or not.
Jessica McCormack
Pierce The Veil, Rock City (29/11/16)
Beginning with ‘Dive In’, a song from their critically acclaimed last album Misadventures, Pierce the Veil prompted a sea of people to sing along to their punk track. Soon after, the ‘Caraphernelia’ intro started to play, which kept everyone excited. It’s an arena-ready tune.
In the middle of the set there were problems as Vic Fuentes could not deliver his best vocals. He recognised this himself, asking the crowd to sing along as he was losing his voice. This misfortune did not allow the crowd to see the best of his high-pitched screaming voice.
“Vic told the audience the story behind the track ‘Hold On Til May’, which he wrote to cheer up a friend”
Highlights occurred mainly towards the end of the setlist. Vic told the audience the story behind the track ‘Hold On Til May’, which he wrote to cheer up a friend. He briefly left his guitar behind, now holding just the mic and sitting down in the stage border. It seemed like what Vic was doing was more than just singing, but performing like an artist. He unconsciously let his charisma show.
It looked like the show was over, but the then crowd shouted “one more song”, and Pierce the Veil came back with two, performing their single ‘Circles’ and ‘King For A Day’, arguably one of the most exciting moments of their setlist.
Victoria Araujo
Beans On Toast, The Bodega (29/11/2016)
Beans on Toast started with the lump-in-the-throat provoking track ‘2016’ which features on new album A Spanner in the Works. His voice was confident, he only played where the song needed. Perhaps he wasn’t sober, but the crowd was silenced by the atmosphere. After the song Beans got lively and welcomed Nottingham to “make the Tuesday feel like a Friday”.
A highlight of the night was ‘Down the Pub’. Before the song we were told to sing the chorus with him. Blues piano filled the room with his vocals neatly weaved on top. The chorus ‘send me home’ reverberated around the room.
“‘The Price of Rice’ which was chanted to the extent that I have no idea if Beans on Toast was actually singing himself…”
The track suggests there is A Spanner In The Works in this new album; some sort of piano meets punk-folk, with relatable and more lighthearted tracks. The song was executed well, and the vocals were surprisingly intricate.
Beans then brought on support acts Sky Smeed and Tensheds to play as a backing band. They announced that they had decided to do a cover, and that there was only one thing for it: Leonard Cohen’s ‘Everybody Knows’. This was not a rip off, but a homage to Cohen, one of Beans’ biggest inspirations. It was a beautiful tribute.
This marked the curfew but Jay stayed on to give the crowd their favourites, including ‘The Price of Rice’ which was chanted to the extent that I have no idea if Beans on Toast was actually singing himself.
This was a more mature affair than the usual Beans gig, perhaps due to Jay’s thoughts on the political significance in 2016, an example of art talking about issues – regardless of sides. Peace was the essence of this gig, and Nottingham was moved once again by the talent and character that is Beans on Toast.
Rhys Thomas
Image courtesy of Rhys Thomas.
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