The KVB
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER –
So, its just gone 7pm on this Friday night and I’m stuck in work. I have that Friday feeling though so all is good! I get a text from my mate to say that the first of three bands that I’m due to go and see after work, are on at half past! My heroic manager lets me off and I practically jump from my office into the Soup Kitchen, just in time for band one.
Tonight is part of a series of shows put together by the good people at Sailor Jerry’s showcasing some of the best new noise makers in the UK at present. First up are Leeds fuzz popsters Menace Beach, a band rarely off the road and one I have seen a number of times and are always a pleasure to watch. They rip through a set of fuzzed pop songs, mainly leaning on their debut record Ratworld, but it’s also great to hear some material which is due to appear of their speedily made new EP ‘ Super Transporterreum’. The title track of the EP rings as a highlight for me with a razor sharp hook and a few cool tempo changes to keep you on your toes and your heads banging! And along with the sludgy grunged up intro of ‘Ghoul Power’ I feel all excited to hear the new EP.. Another solid set, full of noise, riffs and hooks, Menance Beach need your ears now.
Next on the bill are Manchester sweethearts Pins. The now five piece take to the stage with the upmost confidence and blast through an almost non stop set of upbeat garage-pop songs, mainly taken from their second album Wild Nights. The new album is a definite step up in terms of songwriting and musicianship for the band, and songs like ‘Oh Lord’ and ‘Young Girls’ translate extremely well in a live setting, the former a brooding slice of garage rock and the later a bouncy, sun soaked slice of 60’s pop. After a rousing rendition of debut album title track ‘Girls Like Us’ (in which they brilliantly slip in an excerpt of 90’s pop classic ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’), front woman Faith asks for the girls in the crowd to come on stage as they close on a cover of a Misfits tune with lots of jumping around and hair swirling both on and off the stage. This band have really come into their own over the past 12 months as a really fun live band and I strongly advise to check out one of the shows on their up coming headline tour of the UK!
Tonight’s headline act are a two piece called The KVB. I can’t say I know much at all about this band, which is sometimes an exciting an experience to see a band that unaware of what they do or are going to do. What we get is a cute looking boy and girl duo who, armed with a guitar, synth, drum machine and projector, play a psychedelic set of electro-infused shoegaze pop. It’s quite an enticing set at the start with reverb-heavy noise ridden guitar lines laced with low-end synth tones and monotonous electro beats driving each song as the pair sway around their instruments to a back drop of fuzzed, distorted visuals.
In places it reminds me of early Nine Inch Nails with industrial style beats and distorted guitars and in others you can hear the Kevin Shields influence in the hazy, reverberant vocals and guitars caked in delay and reverb. Mid way through it starts to bleed into one a bit and I become less interested as the set continues, but for the most part, the songs are deep and the visuals make a nice, trippy addition.
All in all, a strong bill, lots of noise and free rum! Cheers Jerry!
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I joined the Silent Radio family near the very start of my move to Manchester in 2012 and I'm still having the best time! During my stay here I've been in two noisy bands, had a not so noisy solo project, made a zine, started a blog and started a radio show. It's been productive to say the least and it's all been intersperse with a shit load of gig going and beer drinking. I would love it if you followed me on twitter @dr_brainless for excitable tweets about playing, watching and living new music.
