1,213 THE MYSTERINES, Bristol Rough Trade Records, Saturday 12th March 2022

After we enjoyed last month’s White Lies “In Store” mini-gig (gig-let?) here (gig 1,210), I was on the lookout for any more such band appearances, and a couple of intriguing ones presented themselves in pretty short order… Recent Biff support Bob Vylan next month, but firstly young Liverpool band The Mysterines, promoting their debut album “Reeling”, again free with the entrance fee for this show. Nice! A brand-new (to us, at least…!) female-fronted combo, this, initial YouTube investigations of their material revealed some upbeat, gnarly and pseudo gothy/ grungy post-punk guitar rock, with some big sweeping choruses and dramatic hooks. Right in my wheelhouse, then! And sonically very much in the current post-punk zeitgeist, but thankfully we also seem to have a band with a singer who actually sings, which, rather puzzlingly, seems to be a rare commodity these days…

 This one was also a little unusual, inasmuch as it was a lunchtime appearance, which suited our Saturday plans better than their evening in-store set in Marlborough. So, Logan and I set off down the M4 at 11, parking up deceptively easily in the cavernous Cabot Circus car park and wandering through said (and equally huge) retail centre, hitting the venue dead on 12 to grab our wristbands, then having to join the already-lengthy queue outside! Passed the time chatting to a couple of fellow punters before they let us in to the back room venue at 12.20; and despite that big ol’ queue in front of us, we still managed to worm our way down the front, house right, for a good view for my now not-so little man!

 

So the 4-piece Mysterines took the stage at 1 to the strains of Jonathan Richman’s whimsical “Ice Cream Man” (not their usual entrance music, I’d wager…!), with the bassist and guitarist both seated and flanking vocalist Lia Metcalfe, centre stage. As with the recent White Lies set here, this was due to be a low-key, stripped back and more acoustic performance, so we weren’t going to get those big guitar riff-powered, almost anthemic bangers today. However, what we did get was quite a surprise: opener “Dangerous” crept in low and surreptitiously, almost like Nirvana’s classic “Come As You Are”, building to a big choral hook led by Lia’s strident tones. Oh, did I mention we had a band with a singer who actually sings? Hoo boy, does she… deep, low and resonant yet striking strident, sounding almost world-weary beyond her tender years, and recalling for these ears the excellent McKenzie Scott of Torres, or even the icon that is Patti Smith! “On The Run” and “Reeling” were equally slow-burn, dramatic and yearningly morose, veering towards dark alt-country territory, then “Under Your Skin” took that journey a step further, with the tense swirling atmosphere of a creepy Appalachian folk murder ballad, coming across all akin to Violent Femmes or even the sadly overlooked Cordelia’s Dad! As I said, quite a surprise…

 A later “All These Things” (introduced by Lia as “a bit of a happier one”), with a more traditional indie/ post-punk structure, was probably my favourite of the set and a potential shoe-in for my “Best Of 2022” compo CD, if the recorded version matches up to expectations (spoiler alert: it does!). Then Lia thanked us for coming along (“it’s a bit weird that people actually give a fuck!”) before the meandering “Confession Song” closed out a surprising and intriguing vignette from a very promising and potentially unique new band, one I’m now keen to see fully amped up, as it were…

 

We quickly squirmed our way out to get a spot near the front of the signing queue, and got our CDs and setlist signed by an affable band, chatting about The Bunnymen and Violent Femmes in the process, and Logan getting compliments for his Pixies combat shirt! A quick trip to the Lego store on our way back to the car, and home for 3ish after an entirely successful excursion. Look out for The Mysterines… they may well be a band to reckon with in 2022… and beyond!