Isn’t it brilliant when something connects seamlessly, when something locks in perfectly? For jigsaw nerds it might be that final piece snapping into place to reveal the whole; it might be something as simple as the feel of a key turning to open a lock; it could be something more complex, like the final bit of salt and squeeze of lemon juice that connects a dish together just so, when before it wasn’t quite working; an old synapse firing that finally tells you where you’ve seen that person in the street before. That’s basically the feeling of seeing Still House Plants live, and it’s addictive. The London via Glasgow School of Art threesome, featuring Jess Hickie-Kallenbach on vocals, Finlay Clark on guitar, and David Kennedy on drums set out to get on a groove, lock it in, and hypnotise with their singular sound.
Maybe it’s the seemingly simplistic set up of the three of them with no other embellishments that enable this, but it’s far from simple to achieve. Watching them set about a song like ‘M M M’ from their unbelievably brilliant new album if i don’t make it, I love u, and bring it under their spell ia a spine tingling thing to witness. It might start with a few guitar spikes, some drum beats that don’t feel quite right, maybe a bit out of time or something, you know, off, but then suddenly it all snaps into place and you’re pulled gradually into their web, from which there is little release. This groove, this feeling, this trap of rhythm and sound conjured by Clark and Kennedy is topped off by Hickie-Kallenbach’s distinctive vocals, like an old soul voice dragged down a pitch or two, an instantly distinctive wail that nods to Tirzah, ANOHNI, Nina Simone, but without emulating any of them individually, crafting something utterly idiosyncratic and wonderful. It really is something to behold live, and hearing her sing the stunning ‘No Sleep Deep Risk’ is something that will be hard to top this year.
Their power comes from some kind of innate understanding of what each of them is doing, without ever really sounding structured. It feels organic, but it must be deeply ingrained in their very DNA. It takes something special to sound so connected whilst making it look like it’s kinda being made up on the spot. The final stretch of the show slows the tempo down a bit, stops with the mad, Moin-esque rhythms so much, and settles into a near shoe-gaze-dream-pop groove, something that would suit them very well if they ever decided to turn their hand to a full albums’ worth. It’s a mesmerising section of the set, and I frequently find myself eyes closed, completely lost in the sound, songs almost melting into each other into one liquid dream. Still House Plants can move you as well as connect to your brain, and it takes a special band to do it.
