allusinlove
Allusinlove hosted a night of vibrant rock music at Sound Basement in Liverpool, and Getintothis’ Max Richardson brings you the gen on a night of classy rock.
Liverpool’s Sound Basement played host to a four band bill of primarily guitar-based music on Tuesday, headlined by touring Leeds-based outfit Allusinlove, formerly Allusondrugs.
The intimate setting of Sound Basement proved an excellent choice of venue for the gig, with exposed brickwork suitably complimenting the rough-and-ready aesthetics of each of the performing bands. As the crowd entered at 7:00PM, the venue quickly began piling up to a suitable capacity without ever feeling uncomfortably crowded, and the atmosphere began to escalate.
The first band of the evening, Primyl Vinyl, set the evening off with a bang, beginning their set with a feedback-drenched cacophony of sound before treating the crowd to riff-based guitar music at its absolute finest. The tightness of the band was superb, with their music clearly well-rehearsed prior to the gig, which shone through despite unfortunate technical issues.
The group handled these issues like true professionals, delivering a charismatic performance full to the brim with tasty riffs and well-crafted songs, truly an excellent start to the evening.
Next came Lennie Dies, a three-piece with a diverse stylistic palette. Fusing elements of punk, grunge, and even beginning to verge on touches of metal, Lennie Dies’ set was a frantic display of power, bombarding the audience with a loud performance sure to stick in the memory.
Superbly distorted instruments still managed to retain their clarity within the performance, while the groups usage of a Roland electronic sample pad stood out as a particularly intuitive way of generating contrasting sounds for effect within their set.
The raw power displayed by Lennie Dies was second to none, and their technical proficiency wowed the crowd as the night began to escalate in intensity.
Hands Off Gretel then delivered a stunning performance of grunge-tinged punk rock, fusing the styles of iconic artists such as The Sex Pistols and Nirvana yet polished with a more contemporary-sounding gloss.
The passion of the group shone through the set, Hands Off Gretel are clearly a group who enjoyed their place in the spotlight. Enthusiastic members of the crowd towards the front returned this passion with a display of frenzied head bobbing and swaying.
Lead singer and guitarist Lauren Tate sang with a clearly Lydon influenced sneer, blending well with the dynamic style of the group as they gave the passionate crowd a vibrant set worthy of the main support slot.
Following a brief soundcheck and gear change-around, Allusinlove delivered the headline set with a robust soundscape of effects-swathed guitar and hard-hitting drums.
Unfortunately, the poor mix of the event prevented the vocals of Allusinlove from ever being truly audible, yet somehow this contributed to the charm of the evening, as the sketchy sound levels managed to match the carefree aesthetic of the group.
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Allusinlove are a real rarity in the live scene – a band that seem truly at home on stage, displaying an inimitable sense of comfort in the limelight, a surefire mark of truly worthy performers.
Without ever seeming to adopt an overwhelmingly false stage personality, the group convey charisma in a strikingly genuine manner, never appearing remotely pretentious or over-cocky.
https://twitter.com/allusinlove/status/1093088884924256256
With a set fusing older tracks by the band such as I’m Your Man with newer releases, the crowd seemed suitably impressed by Allusinlove despite the poor mix levels and excessively loud volume within the venue.
The night ended somewhere around 10:15PM, which felt an excellent curfew time, with the short spacing between the four bands resulting in a well-paced night never feeling lacking in energy or seeming to drag.
The crowd left Sound Basement certainly having had excellent value from the price of admission, with a night of four excellent bands all leaving a lasting impression.
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