Constellations April Listings Bido.pdf
1
18/03/2015
15:45
THE OBSERVATORY BAR
OPEN FRI 5PM SAT 8PM
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
CLUB are riding a buzz that’s crying out for
a definitive show, and this might just be it.
Watching the quartet plug in and attack their
new material with barely a pause for breath
is like seeing ‘amateur’ wiped clean from a
chalkboard; it’s hard to believe they’ve come
this far in under a year, with tunes that spring
off the walls, recognisably tense with pep and
laconicism. Old favourites …And Camilla Drew
Fourteen Dots On Her Knee and Much Quicker
Than Anyone But Jennifer Could Imagine finally
have weight, yet remain fun to bop through,
offsetting Ryan Murphy’s dropout-rawk vocal
delivery. Minimal fuss between tracks means
the set blisters with the energy of a punk show,
although Hooton are decidedly not punk and
never will be – they’re having too much of a
good time for all that nonsense, especially
bassist Callum McFadden, who wobbles his
head more than can safely be endorsed. Ryan
and James Madden’s interplay on the mic is
spot on, nailing the sense of mates on an
adrenalin cruise, disarmingly slapdash, a centre
of ebullience crusted with casual feedback.
The Farm’s Carl Hunter gets a shout-out, being
instrumental in getting this single launch to
where it is – friends acknowledged, then, before
the band grind up for the long run, the leap to
a (hopefully) national conscious. Judging by
the reception Jasper gets at the end of their
forty-five minutes, in which barely a second is
wasted, we can stake our hopes that the rest of
the country will pay attention, and that a cadre
of imminent fans await.
Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts
GLASS ANIMALS
K
Tropics
EVOL @ The Kazimier
SEE CONSTELLATIONS FACEBOOK
PAGE FOR TICKET INFO
35-39 GREENLAND ST
BALTIC TRIANGLE
LIVERPOOL
TROPICS may well be the most aptly titled
music project of recent times. It’s the moniker
that London musician Chris Ward chooses to
create under, and sets the tone for the evening.
There are definite shades of Jamie Woon and
SOHN in his music but this is unmistakably his
own sound. Drawing material from recently
released debut album Rapture there is a
freeform jazz and percussive nature to these
songs of which The Cinematic Orchestra,
Bonobo and Lapalux would all be envious.
GLASS ANIMALS’ full-length was an
interesting but subdued offering that all too
often felt too muted to reach its full potential.
Seemingly aware of this, their headline set has
an intensity and excitement that is somewhat
unexpected but whole-heartedly welcome and
tremendously well-received tonight. Frontman
Dave Bayley is not nonchalant to the warm
reception: “Last time we played Liverpool, there
were four people in the room. This is a bit
better,” he grins at a sold-out Kazimier.
Poor sound plagues their headline slot from
time to time as vocals get lost in the mix or
Drew Macfarlane’s keys and synth melodies
struggle to make an impact, but it would be
unfair to hold the group solely responsible
for these small miss-steps. There is too
much fevered enthusiasm in the room to be
dampened by a few technical errors, anyway, as
Bayley makes a habit of hopping off the stage
and taking a sabbatical in the audience for a
minute or two. Obviously this only adds to the
buzzing atmosphere.
The quartet play for around an hour but it
feels like half this as they storm through the
bulk of their album, Zaba. All the tracks have
an extra weight about them, like they were
created solely for the live circuit, and lead
single Gooey instigates an anthemic response
that will be priceless heading into the festival
season. WYRD and set-finishing Cocoa Hooves
are other highlights with their synth-driven trip
hop melodies breaking free from the chains
that they often felt held back by on record.
The encore gives Dave Bayley his rock-star
moment as the shoeless red sock-wearing
singer climbs the speaker rack to cover Kanye’s
Love Lockdown. He then struggles to get
down but if Glass Animals make a habit of
playing shows like this they might be better off
getting used to these heights as bigger venues
come calling.
Matt Wood
GOGO PENGUIN
Fishprint
Liverpool International Jazz
Festival @ The Kazimier
Anybody who hears the band name GOGO
PENGUIN isn’t about to forget it in a hurry,
and this memorable aspect runs deep within
the trio’s genre-bending jazz. Chris Illingworth
(Piano), Nick Blacka (Double Bass) and Rob
Turner (Drums) create a truly original sound,
fishing from a vast pool of influence with the
likes of Aphex Twin and Brian Eno named as
primary sources. They grace the stage for the
opening night of the Liverpool International
Jazz Festival as a subdued and somewhat
serious air fills The Kazimier as a predominantly
mature crowd form around the stairs and many
opt to sit. A traditional jazz feel surrounds us,
albeit lacking wisps of cigar smoke, as Nick
Branton of various local collectives takes to the
stage as FISHPRINT.
A haunting drone of a singular saxophone
opens proceedings, progressing into catchy,
almost patriotic bursts, accompanied by stamps
of feet as Branton displays his impressive lung
capacity. The short set features a Swedish tune
he “can’t pronounce the name of ” along with
melodies of a Celtic feel, and others with more
of a growl. Branton sets the tone, as technical
ability and range of genres are to be the
cornerstone of this evening.
As The Kazimier reaches capacity GoGo