Vaults
– DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –
Vaults’ rise to fame is one that epitomises today’s musical landscape. The electronic trio first pricked the ears of listeners when they uploaded ‘Cry No More’ to Soundcloud. The viral hit soon amassed 100,000 plays in just one week and they were soon fielding calls to appear on the soundtrack of Fifty Shades of Grey, which they did with ‘One Last Night’. Perhaps their biggest star turn though was when they appeared on the John Lewis Christmas Advert, with their cover of ‘I’ll Fly Away’ soundtracking Buster the Boxer’s triumphant jump on the trampoline.
After all this, they finally got round to releasing their debut album ‘Caught in Still Life’ last December, a collection of tracks that very rarely pass the three minute mark and very rarely fail to charm listeners with their icy electronic soundscapes. This strange path to success has led to sold out gigs, including tonight’s at the Deaf Institute, and potentially the last chance to see the band in an intimate space.
The opener ‘Cry No More’ is one of the standout hits from 2015 and immediately sets the bar high. The trio’s trademark glockenspiel starts the song, before Blythe’s husky vocals take centre stage and hypnotise the audience with their immersive quality. As if to wake us from this submerged state, we are blinded by a shocking white light as Vaults launch into the cold, starker ‘Premonitions’. The words here are less oppressive, but fantastic percussion ensures we don’t lose concentration, drawing us in that little bit further.
Drums and vocals come together to great effect again on ‘Lifespan’, when the lead singer and drummer duet ahead of a dreamy translucent soundscape. ‘One Last Night’ is nothing like the cold, steamy number you may expect to soundtrack Fifty Shades of Grey, but a warm, hand clasping number that leads listeners on a journey into nostalgia, imagining the revelry of nights out, meals shared with family and hugs shared with loved ones. The antithesis of this track comes next with ‘Orphan’, a slow number that emphasises the beauty of Blythe’s voice, even when she’s at her most submissive, singing ‘I am just an orphan to your touch.’
There are missteps along the way, particularly when Vaults shed their minimalist, stark style for elaborate drums and shimmering synths. These straight out shots at pop success strip Vaults of their trademark sound and it happens on more than one occasion tonight – ‘The Valley’ is maximalist and loses Blythe’s ability to clutch you subtly by the sleeve, instead pushing us away with an all too mighty shove, while ‘Paradise’ and ‘Overcome’ are predictable and sail over our heads with little effect.
Vaults though are masters of the three minute track and rarely leave you disappointed for long. After they pretend to leave the stage ahead of their encore, they recapture our imagination with ‘Midnight River.’ The instantly recognisable pop song sees audience members throw their phones into the air with their finger pressed intently against the record button. It’s a vibrant colourful listen that will command more listeners in time.
As their set finishes dead on 10pm – an indication of how short their tracks are – it occurs to everyone that Vaults will be around for some time yet. While their quick rise to fame points to a flash in the pan effect, with songs like this, their flame will burn brighter and longer than most.
Vaults: Official | Facebook | Twitter
Hi all, my name is Paddy and I have a love for everything from African music to indie to house (basically anything other than heavy metal). Gigging and listening to albums are genuinely the things I most value and love doing.
