Two
weekend nights in two at Level 3… it’s just like the 80’s and 90’s again for
me! The second gig in a row at my old “Spiritual Home”, place of so many
youthful (mis)adventures and nights of tequila and sweaty dancing, promised to
be a little different to the one before, however… Once again, I’m availing
myself of the nicely maturing pleasures of Palm Rose, easily my best local
“find” of the year, and a shoe-in to be Swindon’s finest band that isn’t called
Raze*Rebuild! This one is a biggie, though; a CD release party for their debut
5-tracker “Daydreams”, an aptly named body of work encapsulating the ephemeral,
dreamlike nature of their deliciously beguiling music, which deftly incorporates
elements of spacerock, dreampop, post-punk and shoegaze, and melds them into a
soaring, widescreen and stately whole.
A
couple of promising young supports as well, so I hit the road after a Saturday
evening visiting my dad with the fam and stuffing myself silly with Chinese
food, parking around the corner just before doors at 8. Wandered downstairs, as
I’ve probably done over a thousand times before, and caught up with Palm Rose
vocalist Adam, manning the “pay what you want” cover contribution bucket with
his lovely lady Meghan. Chatted about the EP and their plans to promote it; they’ve
fired it off to all and sundry, so hopefully some (good) reviews will ensue! No
physical copies, though, so I ordered a download from Bandcamp whilst waiting
for the openers. Rainy Day Fund (for t’was they) bounded enthusiastically on at
8.30, kicking off with “You’re Not Alone”, a gauche, angular math rock track
with a noisy conclusion. This set was apparently their last with their old
bassist (who, noticing his replacement in the crowd, remarked pointedly, “watch
and learn…!”), and they gave him a good send-off with a bright and enjoyable
set. “Brainshake” was a Summery slice of C86/ Hit Parade indiepop, “Slipping
Away” featured some nice 60’s harmonies, and again the frantic and effervescent
penultimate number “Rainy Day” was their best on show tonight. Still needing
more power through the vocals, they’re however coming along nicely.
The
equally young Basement Fund, next up, mined a similar seam of old school
indiepop; their opener had a similar drum pattern to Orange Juice’s classic
“Simply Thrilled Honey”, and much of their occasionally ramshackle, quickfire
strumalong yet slightly funky set recalled those old Postcard Records days.
Some more upbeat numbers recalled the buoyant jangle of current faves Rolling
Blackout Coastal Fever as well as C86 rabble The Razorcuts, and again this was
an optimistic and Summery, albeit retro sounding set from a young band who need
practise and honing, but showed definite promise. Certainly the equally young
crowd lapped it up – this was quite a difference from the veteran crowd of last
night; a smattering of proud parents apart, I was easily the oldest bloke in
the room…!
Chatted
to ex-Well Dressed Thief James before his former bandmates took the stage at
10; Adam solo at first, his soaring, almost operatic tones embellished by some
synth colourwash for a reprise version of “Daydream”, this stripped back
rendition recalling the haunting “Sweet Disposition” by Tender Trap. We were
then treated to the EP in order, the funky bass base of “Where Are We Now”, the
more bleak, morose Modern Eon feel of “Move Slowly” and the echoey, textural
tones of “Tender Crush/ Heartless Love”. The highlight of the EP run-through
for me, however, was the revisitation of “Daydream In C”, building to an
impressive haunting climax, propelled by Adam’s excellent, stately vocal tones.
A
couple of other numbers fleshed out a fine 45 minute set, with the building,
repetitive hook of “Humid” cutting to an acapella ending, and set closer
“Seattle” a stripped back base recalling U2’s “With Or Without You”, before
bursting into a cacophonous break and an intricate guitar outro, rounding out
the set perfectly. Overall, Palm Rose’s set actually sounded better than last
night’s, the sound mix better balanced, suiting their more precise, nuanced material
better than Big Country’s rockier anthems. Fine stuff again!
Congrats
to Adam before I hit the road, back in time to catch some of “Match Of the
Day”. Another advantage of local Saturday night gigs! I don’t believe Palm Rose
will stay local for too long, though, and hopefully the EP will give them a
wider audience that their splendid musical vision undoubtedly deserves. Here’s
hoping…
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