Barely
9 months since I last crossed paths with Sittingbourne’s finest self-confessed
purveyors of “dirty surf pop” music, Get Inuit, yet it seems longer… given that
I missed their last UK jaunt last October on account of being out of the
country, I was keen to renew acquaintances, and booked this Joiner’s gig up
pretty smartish, one of a smattering of headline shows in advance of a larger
February tour supporting Spring King – a tour I can’t get to, due to other gig
clashes. Happy to get to this one then!
A
freezing cold yet fairly clear run down to the South Coast saw me parking up a
stone’s throw from the venue entrance at 8 – hooray for free street parking!
The venue was already reasonably well attended, certainly a larger – and much
younger and more female! – crowd than for the So So Glos, last month… Took a
watching brief for openers Mellor, on just after my arrival. They kicked into
some upbeat and catchy guitar-heavy pop, robust and rhythmically driving, with
those good old fashioned and often overlooked virtues of strong hooks and
tunefulness. “It’s a bit chilly, innit – let’s get warmed up!” announced young vocalist
Gary before the push’n’shove modish rhythm of next single “Visitor”, Gary also
enjoying his wordplay with, “looking forward to Get Inuit? Forget Inuit, we’re
getting you into it…” (groan!) “Fire On Fire” recalled the Candyskins or even
early U2 or Ash in its’ wide-eyed optimistic indie pop and featured a well-observed
pregnant pause (I like those), but closer “I Don’t Know Where I’m Sleeping
Tonight”, a whip-crack fast B movie sci-fi soundtrack thrill-ride recalling
early Scars, was the highlight of this bright set. A couple of bum notes and missed
vocal lines, sure, but here’s a band with some talent and potential.
Main
support Twin Wild were up next, as I popped out briefly beforehand to check the
motor, but their set was late-starting, initially technically besieged, and
when they got going, their scuzzy proto glam/ blues sound was reasonable but
poor fayre after Mellor. The
leathered-up and bequiffed young vocalist was an imposing presence, reminding
me of The Blow Monkeys’ Dr. Robert (remember him??), but I preferred my chat in
the bar with Mellor vocalist Gary, a personable bloke and clearly a student of
his indie rock, citing The Smiths as his all-time favourite band. Good man!
Took
my front-centre spot after one last trip to the car to dump my hoodie; Buddy
Holly-alike vocalist Jamie spotted and recognised me, which was cool, and broke
off his set-up for a quick chat (“I thought you lived nearer to Bristol!”). In
short order, however, Get Inuit were good to go – no technical difficulties for
these boys! They smashed into opener and recent single “Teriyaki” with their
usual bucketloads of vim, vigour and enthusiasm, inciting the same from a young
moshpit – and this old dodgy-kneed bloke too! Jamie was his usual kinetic stage
presence, throwing shapes, high knees and rawk moves, as the 60’s doo-wop surf
pop of “My Oh My” and the slower, growlier but still splendidly harmonic newie “Tread
The Water” set the scene for a brilliant, amphetamine double whammy of “Mean
Heart” (featuring some rabble-rousing primal screaming from the slightly built
vocalist – where’s that coming from?)
and the frantic “Cutie Pie”.
“It’
OK to slow down once in a while,” Jamie remarked as he introduced a more
considered newie “Heavy Thoughts”... A word on the smattering of new numbers
here – despite sounding more proficient, dare I even say mature, them apples didn’t fall too far from the tree, underlining
Get Inuit are exploring their sound and realising their own potential very
nicely indeed thank you. “Barbiturates” (“a bugger to sing,” apparently!) was a
grungy trampoline marathon with the second pregnant pause of the night – this one
maybe milked a little by Jamie! – and the dynamic closer “Pro Procrastinator”
sent the kids off to their beds with one last mosh and a mini-stage invasion,
after another jet-propelled and all-too-short set of spiky, spunky powerpop
thrills.
Hung
about afterwards, enjoying a particularly long chat with bassist Ollie and
greetings from the rest of this gregarious young band, before a quick pic and a
Lauda-esque run back up the chilly A34/M4 beat route home. Chilly tonight, but
Get Inuit brought the sound of Summer once again!
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