The
third of 3 gigs in 3 nights, and, neatly bookending in with last night’s
spritely female-fronted indiepop pipistrels flying in from far-flung fields to
promote their third album (NZ’s The Beths), here’s another lot! This time it’s
Canada’s Alvvays, gracing my “Dance Card” for the 6th time but the
first for over 5 years (damn Covid!), over in the UK to promote their 3rd
effort, last year’s “Blue Rev”. I have to confess that I found this a lot less
immediate than their previous more upbeat releases, although its’ more textural
and less jangly wall-of-sound shoegazey dreampop and submerged vocals however
ultimately rewarded repeated listens, and still figured in my “Best Of 2022”
compo CD and lists. Shame they weren’t playing anywhere closer (Bristol, yeah,
but during an all-day festival), but I still booked tix for this one, curious
as to how – or whether! – they’ll dovetail this more textural new approach into
their usual buoyant live shows. We’ll see…
A
sunny mid-afternoon departure saw me parking up in Osterley as usual, taking
the lengthy tube trek over to Kentish Town in time to join the O2 Priority
queue (hooray!) just before 7 p.m. doors, and securing an easy barrier spot on which
to rest my aching knee (third in 3, this, as I mentioned…). Formed a front row
coalition with a couple of young fellow barrier-leaners, one a tall chap from
Dover, and another a student from the Caribbean! Gig chat whiled away the hour
until 8, when support Ex Void joined us. Featuring the former Joanna Gruesome
m/f dual vocal attack of the close-shorn and strikingly tall Lan and her
partner in crime, the tousled Adam Granduciel (War On Drugs) lookalike Owen
Williams, I’m happy to report they were much improved from my one sighting of
their former charges, supporting The Popguns back in 2012 (gig 846!)! This set showcased
some intelligently crafted and robust US-inflected alt rock, which initially
touched on the expansive countrified powerpop of Gin Blossoms (opener
“Boyfriend”), through “Ray”-era Lemonheads (the discordant underlying riff of
“In Love Again” strongly recalling Evan’s “Rudderless”) and more into chunky
harmonic Teenage Fanclub riff-powered laze rock (set highlight, the penultimate
“No Other Way”), via an acoustic interlude demonstrating Lan’s clean and clear
set of pipes. Shame they only had vinyl copies of their record for sale on the
merch stand, as this was an impressive opening set from a band I’d like to hear
more of.
The
place got busier, but a between-bands comfort break was much easier than last
night’s at SWX, and a fiddly pedals soundcheck bumped us right up to 9.15,
Alvvays then taking the stage to the sound of harmonic (and doubtless
Canadian!) Inuit chanting. Vocalist Molly Rankin, a little mumsier nowadays, led
her band into new album opener “Pharmacist”, which sadly sounded a little flat,
the mix not doing it any favours and the guitar pattern a little too
discordant. “Earthquake” fared much better, however, particularly after a
slow-burn mid-8 break, and by an excellent, strident and soaring “In Undertow”
the mix was happily sorted, Yay!
Following
those initial collywobbles, this was a sparkling and delightful set from an
increasingly special band. Alvvays’ material is less overtly upbeat and much
more subtle than, say, last night’s hosts The Beths (even on their faster tunes
such as a rip-roaring later “Pomeranian Spinster”), but no less hooky and
brain-hugging for that. And, particularly on their more slow-burn wall of sound
numbers (even newies such as an early, lush “Many Mirrors” and the impressive
final verse octave-shift of “Belinda”), there’s a warmth, a cosy familiarity to
their music that envelops you like a chunky sweater or an old blanket. Also, Molly’s
clear and soaring high-register vocals were happily less muffled than on “Blue
Rev”, giving the new material a different dimension. As for the oldies, “Adult
Diversion” was irresistibly jangly and hooky; “Not Your Baby” (introduced by
Molly with, “feel free to get sentimental”) stripped-back and emotive; and
“Hey” a superb mid-set highlight, Molly mayhem leading the band through a roaring
60’s US West Coast psych riff-fest. “Archie, Marry Me”, stylishly slotted
mid-set, was however wonderful, a soaring, all-encompassing roof-raising
singalong, and predictably the highlight of the night. But did you expect
anything else, really…?
Molly
“stirred the pot” with some between-song banter about Noel Gallagher, before
the penultimate “Easy On Your Own”, which was also a strident, soaring
singalong. A punky, thrashy “Saved By A Waif” closed the set, before a 3-song
encore featuring galloping oldie “Atop A Cake” rounded off a superb performance
which, despite initial sound issues, may have been the best I’ve seen from Alvvays.
A list thanks to a friendly roadie (who insisted on ensuring I had one!), then
a crowded and truncated tube journey still pitched me up at the car at
midnight, home at 1.30 a.m. after 3 (!) sets of slow roadworks on the M4.
Yikes! But worth the lengthy trek to see Alvvays on this form, for sure, and a
fine way to round off this hectic 3 in 3 schedule…
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