What could be better to blow away the Monday blues than three great up-and-coming bands in a tiny little room in Sheffield? Well, nothing would be the answer to that. Drenched in sweat and kicking Monday into touch, Allusondrugs, Lonely The Brave and Marmozets prove why they deserve to be selling out venues so early in all of their careers.
Allusondrugs are dazed and confused, as always. This is fitting however, for their set of fuzzy, distorted tunes that echo the likes of Nirvana and Mudhoney. As always, Allusondrugs are a lively band (despite their songs sometimes bordering on hazy and dream-like), and tonight they’re living up to their reputation, stomping around achieving an incredible number of head bangs, with long hair anywhere and everywhere on the stage, being whipped into a frenzy.
Lonely The Brave are very different to the other two bands on this tour. This is not a bad thing, it’s just apparent in that the other two bands are very much about screams, distortion and getting the crowd moving- your usual live experience. Lonely The Brave however, are much more of a listening experience live. Before anyone points out that live music is about the listening; this is obvious. But this is a band who can hold a crowd with no vamping, no calls for a ‘pit’, nor for everyone to be on their feet and jumping. Anyone wondering what the hype is around Lonely The Brave at the moment, should see them live and understand. For a band who have only just released their debut album, they sound exceptional. Frontman David Jakes is quiet and introverted, and stands towards the back of the stage; this dysfunctional set up for a vocalist works well for the band’s kind of music, and Jakes rarely even opens his eyes during the set. Both his voice and his lyrics are heartbreaking and all of a sudden, the hype makes sense- this is their FIRST album. Songs like Victory Line and Trick Of The Light not only strike a heart-felt chord with the crowd, but they are also even more captivating live. It’s hard not to stand and stare in awe of this band that have achieved so much, and such positive reviews in such a short time.
Marmozets take to the stage looking far too young and awkward to make the noises and the commotion that they do. Frontwoman Becca MacIntyre wanders on after the rest of the band clad in a fluffy jumper, and does a shy little wave to the crowd, before the band launch into their eratic math-rock and she’s flailing round the stage like an unhinged lunatic. There are pits within seconds in the tiny little room, and the lack of barrier means fans are that close, Becca is almost kicking them in the face with her onstage antics. It becomes clear that Marmozets are a lot heavier live, and while their music does have some screamed vocals, Becca’s scream is a lot more powerful in the flesh; piercing and chill-inducing, it all of a sudden makes the small, innocent twenty-something very formidable. Captivate You proves the band are capable of holding a crowd’s attention in ways other than by letting proceedings fly off the hook, it’s a song that displays their true musical talent in a different way to their usual raw and visceral material. For the remainder of the set, Becca pounces onto amps and hangs from speakers as she snarls in the faces of her fans, while the band are a hurricane of jarring riffs and head-bangs behind her. It has also been a rapid rise to success for Marmozets- who are still only on their debut album, and there’s still miles to go before they’re headlining Download, or heading out on their own arena tour. But as starts go, this is a pretty damn good one.
Lonely The Brave Website/Facebook/Twitter
Marmozets Website/Facebook/Twitter
