The first night of a busy gig week, sees things kicking off with Picture Parlour. What can I say about this lot. Well it’s tough to get passed powerhouse singer Katherine in all honesty. Seriously what a voice! She sounds like Alex Turner, with a deadpan delivery that soars as the lyrics twist and she stalks the stage. The rest of the band are no slouches either. A song that might be called something like ‘Sawmill Steel’ (if I heard right) is a dark brooding monolith showing they’ve already got a pretty impressive catalogue of songs. I’m guessing not many in Academy 2 tonight know more than one though. This lot are pretty fresh and it’s clear that everyone’s made the effort to get in early for the ‘Norwegian Wood’ band (no not that one). There’s much more to them though. Yes there’s some rough edges, but even they sound glorious as they tear through riffs, bouncy bass and edgy power ballads that have me totally sold inside 10 minutes. As they close with “the one song you might know” there’s a collective head bob that sweeps the room. It’s a great closer, but on the strength of this set, it’s clear they’re on track to surpass their debut single quickly.
Next up it’s another new band. The Last Dinner Party. Who take the stage in dramatic fashion. There’s definitely a sense of theatre about them and a touch of gothic swagger. It’s a big sound, with brooding pop hooks that conjure wild applause after each and every song. Well done to whoever’s running the lights too, I don’t think I’ve seen lighting as good as this in here for a long time. It really adds to the drama. They’re brimming with confidence and have a right to be. New bands aren’t supposed to be this perfect. It’s really quite stunning. They’re a band to fall in love with and I’m sure everyone watching tonight will do just that. There’s only a few songs available online, but they keep a sold out crowd nestled in the palm of singer Abigail’s outstretched hand. We’re all transfixed hearing many of these songs for the first time. No more so than when they slow things down and introduce a flute. I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s utterly wonderful. They’re not afraid to test the crowd with a couple of slower songs, knowing perhaps that with songs like ‘Sinner’ up their sleeves they can do whatever the fuck they want. It’s an absolute monster. This is the one you need to listen to if you’ve not heard them yet, but trust me it’s even better live. I can’t think of many bands doing stuff like this right now. Their songs are layered, stepping up through operatic levels, easing you in, before gloriously detonating your mind. My reviews are often full of praise, that’s because I come to see bands I know I like. Tonight though I didn’t know quite what to expect. I was hopeful sure, but fucking hell this was revelatory. I’m not shocked often, but despite clocking some hundred gigs this year, I think this one is going to come close to topping the pile. By the time they finish with ‘Nothing Matters’, the room is a puddle of joyous emotion. In years to come this tour I suspect will be a ‘I was there!’ moment.
