Jeff Barrett, boss of Heavenly Records, must be sitting at home with a wry smile knowing that he’s signed another couple of gems in Toy and tonight’s support, Charlie Boyer And The Voyeurs. Whilst the latter stake a good claim to the new wave of post punk, the former – comprised of several members of Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong – present a redefined, sharper toothed take on, well, the new wave of shoegaze.
Coalition looks like a Tim Burton set with its pillars covered in branches and trinkets decorating the ceiling. As the clock chimes seven, the gig is upon us, a few anonymous “yeahs” ring out and local instrumentalists, Restlesslist, grab our attention. A trippy visual setup – some kind of tie-dye attack on the eyes – reinforce their genre-hopping sound. ‘Magma’, the band’s standout track, providing the first head-nodder of the night.
The crowd has depth now, Charlie Boyer And The Voyeurs show us why they’re getting hyped as their fun 70s era pop punk sparks some “C’mon Charlie” between ‘Be Nice’ and ‘Go Blow A Gale/Haven’t Got A Chance’.
It’s not until 9pm that Toy creep on stage, adamantly picky about every piece of equipment but enriching and mesmerizing when they burst into life. Taken aback, we find ourselves struggling to keep control of our bass-drum kicking legs. Later, Tom Dougall’s sinister stage presence is welcomed by excitable middle-aged men as he introduces live favourite, ‘Bright White Shimmering Sun’.
Tsunami movements break through the crowd as the chorus erupts and the men of yesteryear get their dose of post punk – reminiscing all the while about Pink Floyd and the good old days. The funfair continues as Toy race through the juicier end of their eponymous debut album, with recently released single ‘When I Went Back’ cutting deep as synth-laden guitars perpetuate a ‘Primary Colours’ Horrors vibe.
Although we’ve heard this sound before, it’s really hard to dismiss Toy as a legion of wannabes. Tonight they showed us why they’ve been asked to support bands like The Horrors. It’s not because they’re samey but because their good old fashioned values have got them where they are: strong songs and great live performances.
Coalition, Saturday 27th October 2012
Words by Gavin Hughes
