In fact a three-band bill promoted by Pop Mutations, it was the Bas Jan performance which really got the attention.
Hailing from the London area, the all-girl 4 piece captivated and enthralled BM (and the audience, who were pretty lively but did shut up during the quieter phases)… with a collection of spooky but hummable tracks, and their collective vibe really translate well tonight.
BM can well understand why Johnny Lunch, aka Pictish Trail, signed this lot – he has a bit of yon Midas touch (and that also applies to the evening’s headliners Savage Mansion who are also a class act).
Apart from being completely in tune and pitch perfect, this ensemble have a very singular approach to music, somewhere between gospel, psychedelic and English folk tradition.
The set was mainly drawn from album no 2 ‘Baby u Know’, with drums, bass, violin and lead vocals/keys blending together – all four band members vital to the overall sound tonight…
There are shades here of a number of acts, from The Raincoats, The Slits and right through to Self Esteem – female empowerment, the platform to say what they want to, whether it be about sexual politics, random or very important ones.
Highlights for BM were the brutal ‘Vision of Change’, the ridiculous ‘Sex Cult’ (complete with 80s synths sounds) and the incredible, possible massive hit ‘You Have Bewitched Me’ which is just a massive earworm and compares well with, for example, Patti Smith’s ‘People Have The Power’…
BM has struggled to get over in this review this band’s unique DNA and also not paid tribute to the double fiddle breakdowns – just check them out, on the UK music scene at the moment they are unique and glorious…
Please come back to Scotland soon!