Velvets simplicity, instrumental precision and squirrel impressions, Getintothis’ Jon Birchall finds something for everyone during Liverpool Sound City’s day one at the Zanzibar.
Once I got over the initial surprise that Rhodes weren’t going to sing, I actually enjoyed meandering through their instrumental take on post-rock, that came across like one massive bridge between a verse and chorus that never quite came. Mixing pace but remaining tight, this was an assured set but lacked a certain something to leave me agape.
The same can’t be said of Veronica Falls, who I had heard a lot about but not a lot of. Silly me.
They took to the stage looking every part the Velvet Underground revisionists, no harm in that you may think but having seen it all before, I was hoping for a little more.
The four-piece delivered, with basic bass lines matched with vocals not dissimilar to the brilliant Electrelane, this was a set that revelled in its raucous simplicity.
The kind of joy you get in breaking something with a toy hammer, without the guilt.
Talking of things looking likely to break, with the skin stretched tightly over Duncan Wallis‘ convulsing skeleton, it was difficult not to be taken in by the Dutch Uncles‘ front man’s gentle voice acting as stark contrast to stuttered movements of his body.
Sorry if that sounds disgusting, it wasn’t, it was just very, very funny and acted as an enjoyable accompaniment side show to a thoroughly entertaining set.
I laughed four times at his squirrel in a tree style urgency, while the Stockport band mixed disorientating guitars snapping between funk and punk with metronomic drumming providing the constant required to make sure everything didn’t fly off the stage in a big jumbled mess.
Which is exactly what Wallis’ body looked likely to do for the entire time.