Tonight at Rough Trade, non profit organisation Rock Against Racism Nottingham are hosting London’s Girls In Synthesis. Formed in 2016, they have acquired somewhat of a cult following, and with good reason. If you’re looking for a sound that’s somewhere between something you know really well, and something you’ve never heard before, you don’t have to look much further than Girls In Synthesis. A mash up of something akin to Ian Dury versus The Stranglers, with the darkness of Bauhaus and Soiuxsie and the Banshees thrown in, underpinned by motorik drum beats that create a kinetic energy that’s impossible to resist.
Opening with ‘Images Agree’ the first of several tracks taken from their LP Now Here’s An Echo From Your Future, they waste no time in showing this crowd exactly what they are all about – noisy, abrasive and intense. The guitar interplay is second to none and crowd submission is immediate. Moving into ‘Containment’ from latest EP Shifted State, the minor key offers exactly that, and the intensity is eased, before a new track ‘Watch With Mother’ shows where the band are going; driven, piercing and at times uncomfortable it is the perfect antidote for the times. ‘Tainted’ is the perfect follow up, not allowing the crowd to draw breath for even a second and is swiftly followed by the somewhat sinister echoes of ‘Howling’. ‘We Might Not Make Tomorrow’ is a track from the archives but it delivers such a punch live it deserves its place in the set; an infectious melody, haunting dual vocal exchange that’s almost nursery rhyme esq in its deliverance leave this track ringing in your head long after it’s finished. The seeming monotony of the start of ‘Human Frailty’ dares you think they have taken the foot of the gas, but that doesn’t last long as they explode into action; hair, guitars, feet and sweat fly everywhere and the crowd join in with gusto – they’re loving every minute. The set is over all too soon with ‘The Mound’, one of their oldest tracks; it leaves the relentless crowd wanting more and shouts and cheers are aplenty; they may be satisfied but they are not sated.Live music has been absent for a while, but its not its back with avengeance with multiple gigs every night causing havoc for fans. But if there is one band you have to see this year, make it Girls In Synthesis.
