After five years under the radar, Lincolnshire’s most famous exports, the 22-20s, are finally back in the UK touring their second album Shake/Shiver/Moan, so far released only in the US.
Back in 2003, 22-20s’ unique mix of old-school blues, 60s rock and punk guitar sounds left A&R men up and down the country scrabbling to sign them. The resulting scrum was won by Heavenly records, who put out their critically acclaimed debut self-titled album in 2004. After touring extensively with the likes of Oasis, Supergrass and The Black Crowes, the band split suddenly in 2005 amid several cancelled UK festival dates, with singer and songwriter Martin Trimble stating that he was, ‘no longer comfortable with people’s perceptions of what we represent’. Whether Trimble’s discomfort was with his other band members or with the music business was unclear.
Whatever happened seems to be water under the bridge, as the band are back with a new album and a new(ish) sound. Playing at Brighton’s Audio on Sunday night, the trademark energy, aggression and intensity of their earlier live shows is just as compelling as ever. They appease old fans by interspersing crowd-pleasers such as ‘I’m The One’, ‘Such a Fool’ and ‘Devil In Me’ with tracks from the new album and their previous EP. Trimble’s vocals have not lost any of their intensity, neither have the relentless spiky guitar riffs, or the beautifully crafted guitar solos. The newer tracks show a more mature, melodic side to the band. With splashes of 60s Psychedelia, reminiscent of 13th Floor Elevators, the new tunes are somehow more spacious and thoughtful. The vocal harmonies on ‘Ocean’ and ‘Shake/Shiver/Moan’ are a nod to the likes of The Byrds and other tracks offer less riff-based and more subtle songwriting.
Although the crowd had clearly come to hear the old favourites, the new songs were much more than mere filler. 22-20s have lost nothing in their performance for five years off the scene. As always, they played with as much precision as they did soul, which is a tricky balance to strike.
22-20s
Audio
Sunday 17th October 2010
Words by Catherine Rowe
