This was one of these gigs you stumble upon. Apart from a couple of posters in the Doghouse itself, the gig had been hardly promoted at all, low-key to the point of invisibility. To be honest, I hadn’t even heard of It Hugs Backs until I saw their show on the list of gigs circulated by our esteemed editor. All I knew from the list was that they had recently signed to 4AD and that, as someone who, for years, had spent a lot of time listening to great 4AD groups – Throwing Muses, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Lush, Belly, Ultra Vivid Scene, to name but a few – I thought they might be at least worth hearing.
I bought three singles and was charmed and wowed. It Hugs Back don’t sound much like the archetypal 4AD band of legend but then again, scanning that eclectic list, who the hell did? I tried to talk a few folk into going, rather inarticulately attempting to describe It Hugs Back’s sound – ‘Orange Juice meet Yo La Tengo’ being my best / worst offering.
Yeah, I know, it’s pretty lame using other bands as examples when trying to describe the merits of a new band but hey, what can you do when put on the spot? ‘Other Cars Go’ does have that wigged-out pop sensibility that Yo La Tengo often have while, like Orange Juice, It Hugs Back have a big, warm pop heart beating at the core of their music. Anyway, back to the show…
We arrive in time to catch most of Tango In The Attic’s set. They seem to have brought along a decent crowd. Based in Glenrothes, the five-piece seem to have spent some time tangoing in the attic / basement / garage to the sounds of Vampire Weekend, Talking Heads, 60s garage punk and all points in-between. At times they sounded a little too close to their influences but at other points, they showed that they have some pretty decent songs.
The performance was energetic and enthusiastic including the use of odd percussion, and verged on the manic in its intensity prompting us to wonder how the singer could survive on the stage in a leather jacket. Given time, Tango In The Attic could develop into something quite special. As it stands, they were good fun with some enjoyable songs.
It Hugs Back can sound quite laidback on record but were certainly less cuddly live than their name might suggest. After this short, sharp shock of a set, We Bite Back might be a more appropriate name. The songs had an, at times, ferocious, noisy intensity to them live without in anyway sacrificing the intricate melodies. Though no-one seemed to know who they were – indeed they took to the stage to an almost empty room – less than halfway through the first song, ‘Saving’, a curious crowd had drifted back in to see who was producing this rowdy, tuneful racket.
‘Work Day’ sounded utterly wonderful, as did ‘Saving’ but the rest of the set was equally brilliant; sweet, articulate pop centres delivered in a hard, appealing shell by an unassuming quartet who looked barely out of adolescence. Despite looking slightly bewildered and bemused to be on stage they played a great set of fantastic songs with great heart and enthusiasm. All too soon though, they were done, leaving me hungry for more.
It Hugs Back have a compilation album of their early singles out now and an album due. I’d thoroughly recommend that you acquaint yourselves with them now on record and in the flesh. Cute and cuddly, but fierce as well. Utterly adorable.
//Andy Wood