I’d never been to the Red Room part of Rescue Rooms before, but it’s a perfect intimate-sized gig venue, perhaps like Bodega in size. A totally-filled lil’ space with nothing but good music and good energy – what could go amiss?
“Picture Ava as having the vocal quality of Florence Welch, complimented with a slightly edgier style”
The support act, local Ava Saint, swiftly kicked the gig off. Picture Ava as having the vocal quality of Florence Welch, complimented with a slightly edgier style, and a rock and roll vibe. The artist played a range of originals with her band, laced with the odd cover, which (much to my delight) included Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. I felt they needed a bigger venue to fill, or perhaps a few more audience members to bounce off, but regardless, the audience thoroughly enjoyed rocking out with this artist. The cracking stage presence, together with a helping of Ava’s dreamy, ethereal vocals made for the perfect support act for CHILDCARE.
“a sense of ‘cool musician’ and effortless stage presence”
The headlining act, South-London based CHILDCARE, started their set without any fuss, immediately effusing a sense of ‘cool musician’ and effortless stage presence. The artist concentrates on an Alternative Rock style, with some elements of punk and eccentric pop here and there. As quite a newbie to the band, I was taken aback by how many different styles they dabbled in. In listening to their new album Luckyucker, not one song imitates another; every track is authentic.
The band members Ed, Emma, Rich and Glyn form a rich vocal-guitar-bass-kit combo, occasionally seasoned with an odd tambourine drop and impromptu bell-playing from the mic stand. I spent time fascinating over each band member, and their chemistry as a band and with the audience. Everyone bopped their way to 10pm without a care in the world; exactly the sort of reception a band searches for. My eyes were particularly drawn to the guitarist: he explored a range of different pedals and effects, and often took his guitar off to really shred the instrument (once even raising it behind his head in pure-rock fashion).
“an effortless grunge-feel”
I particularly enjoyed all the performances of the tracks from Luckyucker; songs which I have very recently grown to love. Their live performance of ‘Put Down Your Pen’ was one I very much revelled in. The opening bass gliss, accompanied by a flavourful detuning of the guitar, achieved an effortless grunge-feel, yet left the band entirely composed. In comparison, songs such as ‘No Letting Go’ made for a more chill, upbeat feel. Despite the differing moods, the artist’s back catalogue is defined by an overall sense of imagination and nonconformity.
I was a little surprised (most definitely pleasantly surprised) by the mix of the audience members the bands drew in: seemingly, friends and family of band members, younger couples, older couples, etc. In hindsight, it proves the timeless, yet entirely fresh and original sounds of both Ava Saint and CHILDCARE, artists clearly appreciated by all generations.
This gig left me in complete enchantment. The short but sweet set from CHILDCARE kind of left me with their taste in my mouth, and I haven’t stopped listening since, now over 2 hours later. It is also worth mentioning, that CHILDCARE managed to capture exactly what they present in their recorded tracks on Spotify; a talent and true rare find. A band well-worth the watch.
9/10
Emma Nannery
Featured image courtesy of CHILDCARE Official Facebook Page.
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