Illuminated in the cosmic glow of tie-dye ink projections, Liquid Rooms is definitely giving off a hippie vibe tonight.
There are of course less topless people on acid (is that a good or bad thing?), but the mood is perfect because the concert is bookended by two acts with distinctly retro chops.
Abruptly kicking things off are Klaus Johann Grobe, who decide to announce their presence not with a warm hello, but an abrasive organ crunch. It works well, because everyone’s attention is captured as the band run through a set of excellent Neu / Can influenced krautrock. Despite this 70’s aura, they have a crisp, calculated sound, powered by an almost robotically timed and retrained drummer, and a charging Hammond organ. Combined with poppy choruses, the keyboards weirdly, yet occasionally, give them a Stevie Wonder sound (believe it or not). It’s an odd mash up that peaks with their only slow number which is sung in German, and is so Flight of the Concords hilarious the band themselves can’t help but smirk the whole way thought the number! Unashamedly retro, odd, and fun.
Superfood are the only non-1960s/70’s inspired band tonight. But don’t imagine for one second that makes them cutting edge or modern. Owing a huge debt to Supergrass, Teenage Fanclub and basically any indie band of the noughties boom, there isn’t much new to hear. The band also seem so distant from each other (with their female bassist ignored at the corner of the stage) it gives the impression they were assembled in a record company office planning to spear head an indie revival. Their Franz strut and Cribs rawness will slay indie discos for fourteen year olds, but anyone looking for depth or innovation in this genre should look to the likes of Sleaford Mods or Parquet Courts instead.
Temples however, manage to pull off this hard task of being heavily in debt to their influences, but still sounding fresh, artistic, and valid. Maybe it’s their massive synth hooks. Or their autumnal melodies. Or their modern, heavier palette of sounds, that sometimes sound like a wood lorry smashing through ice. All these nuances and tricks are delivered with ease in a varied set that runs from English-folk style pop songs, to epics that have the dramatic chords of Wall-era Floyd and the optimism of sixties garage rock. Temples have mined the past, and created fresh, artistic music, and it’s a time capsule I’m glad they opened.
- Neil Landstrumm - 16 March 2016
- Ben Klock - 28 December 2015
- Yak / Hidden Charms/ DTHPDL - 8 December 2015
Wee review of Temples awesome gig in Edinburgh’s fine venue, The Liquid Rooms http://t.co/711EZbB1qc http://t.co/35jKvymxEq