I
have my good friends the Gurneys to thank for pointing me in the direction of
this excellent young band October Drift, although it took me awhile to act on
their recommendation... Craig popped a link on my Facebook feed as long ago as
last September, but it took until their early 2020 tour was announced for me to
give them any more than a cursory check. When I did, I found some thrilling
shimmery guitar wall-of-noise right in my wheelhouse, and immediately cursed
the fact I was already spoken for on the dates that said tour took them to Bristol
Louisiana and Southampton Heartbreakers. All was not lost, however, as an in-store
performance and signing session in Bristol’s Rough Trade record shop not only
afforded me the chance to check this promising combo out, but also to pick up
their debut album as it was included in the ticket price!
A
busy weekend unfortunately not only meant a lack of time to add to my cursory
research on their music (rendering the band pretty much sight unseen and
unheard!), but also a later than anticipated departure, just before 6.30 for
the scheduled 7.30 start. Hit traffic on the M4 just the other side of Bath
which delayed me, so I pretty much had time to park up in my usual SWX car park
just past the Bearpit, find this cafe venue at the back of the Rough Trade
record shop, pick up my CD from the bar and take a spot near the front in the
small and suitably rock'n'roll dingy side room, just before the boys took the
stage bang on 7.30. Beckoning the curious few dozen of us forward then patting
my shoulder as I took a big step forward, rakish, chiselled and wild-eyed vocalist/rhythm
guitarist Kiran Roy led his charges, via a cacophony of noise, into opener “Losing
My Touch”, a driving, layered opener that recalled Ride's classic shoegazing anthem
“Drive Blind”. However from the off it was evident there was no shoegazing to
be done tonight, the band launching into a dynamic, energetic and kinetic
performance, the front three all throwing shapes with furious abandon and
intent, and Kiran particularly sawing away at his instrument (which he had on
such a short strap I thought at one point he'd start playing it with his
chin...) for all he was worth, whilst strong-armed drummer Chris Holmes seemed
to be working out his own personal exorcism, pulling some crazy intense faces
as he pummelled seven bells out of his kit. Hard, fast and mighty!
“Cherry
Red”, an upbeat thrill-ride of a track, saw me reaching for my explosive taut post-punk
comparisons, coming up with the likes of The Chameleons, The Sound and even the
goth-inflected strident rock of Flesh For Lulu; then Kiran took to the floor,
embellishing a superb “Death”-era White Lies-esque “Just Got Caught” with his doomy,
sonorous yet yearning vocal delivery. He repeated the trick for an acapella
intro to the subsequent overt soaring chant of “Forever Whatever” before
jumping back on (and around) the stage; then “The Past”, which recalled a
couple of Pale Saints numbers at the same time (!) closed out a quite startling
and utterly incendiary half hour, a total belter of a set, which left me lamenting
my previous engagement next month. This lot would be amazing at The Louisiana,
I reckon...
Kiran
shook my hand as he stepped offstage and thanked me for stepping forward, which
was nice; I then joined the short queue to grab some more complimentary words,
pics and signings with him and the rest of the band, before heading back to the
car, just under an hour after parking (!) and home by 9 pm (!!) after a quick inky
blast down the M4. Result! And a hell of a result in this outstanding young
band too, possibly the most exciting prospect since Desperate Journalist (high
praise indeed!). I'm glad I saw them this close up, as I'd imagine such
opportunities will be scarce in the future. And, Craig and Jenny, I certainly
owe you one for recommending October Drift to me!
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