This four-act billing promoted by BBC Introducing was a great excuse to leave the old work Xmas piss-up, sorry “night out”, early before things got too out of hand…
So although King Tut’s was quite rowdy, it was a relative oasis of calm compared to the carnage elsewhere… Unfortunately BM missed quite a bit of Neverfine, however it was pretty obvious how well they were going down with the audience despite being first act on. Their electro with quite a bit of guitar tracks was anthemic and danceable, topped by birthday girl Ashley’s impassioned vocals and impressive vocal power and range. As BM said of their Resonate appearance, ones to watch for next year, and already getting radio and other media exposure…
Second act on, Her Picture, also went down very well, their concoction of indie sounds laced with some dramatic, rather gothic overlay of vocals pulsating away and filling the room. Playing as a four-piece tonight, they tore through a relatively short set which included new track ‘Choir Song’ along with what might have been ‘I’m Still Here'(?) – the opener included a threatening phrase “don’t come looking for me…” – er, we won’t! But seriously, new to BM but very promising.
Just ahead of the headliners (although really it was a four band night, the crowd was equally appreciative of all the bands and at least BM could see the stage this time, due to younger audience and it not being sold out, though probably pretty close).
Lacuna comprised eight (or maybe more, hard to tell in the dry ice) musicians and included a variety of instruments – (BM understands they started as a duo, Emily on vocals and Jack on guitar) and well… Starting with a new song, they went through probably seven tracks including recent single ‘Robin’ and ending with ‘Viking Funeral’ – the overall vibe was kinda gothic folk, with a strong hint of 4AD underlay and a sprinkling of Randolph’s Leap in the acoustic/electric sound. A very talented lot, the combination of instruments and vocals could potentially sound easily out of tune but this was spot-on, with some nifty sound mixing (not sure who was on the desk at the back tonight but well played indeed…). Another band that BM needs to see again in 2024 and surely an obvious Celtic Connection booking (as support at the very least), need to check the schedule.
And lastly Poster Club, a four-piece who recently released the rather haunting, post-shoegazey ‘Tradeston’, but sounded nothing like that description tonight as they really went for it, more like Nirvana vs Frabbits, with squalling guitar and a pretty OTT vocal performance. The seven songs included ‘Circuits’, the raucous ‘Innocent’ and ended with a ramped-up-to-the-hilt (and amped up as well) version of ‘Tradeston’, which brought proceedings to an end – a very good night indeed!