Another year, another city-wide deluge of skinny-jeans, frantic industry types and hundreds of great bands. Here’s what we made it to on Saturday at The Great Escape.
SATURDAY
Blue Hawaii, Old Ship Paganini Ballroom
Blue Hawaii are made up of Braids vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston and Alex “Agor” Cowan. There must be something in the water in Canada as there’s been a wave of futuristic pop breaking out there over the last couple of years. Blue Hawaii are definitely in that mould, but are perhaps even more suited to the club than acts like Purity Ring and Grimes. In the space of a song they are able to slow it down with post dubstep beats then bring it right back with clear house vibes. Songs such as ‘In Two’ even have elements of futuristic r’n’b thrown in to mix things up. When Raphaelle is jumping around on stage her enthusiasm makes you want to go join her. (SE)
Chvrches, Digital
Given the almost deafening pre-festival buzz, it was a relief to finally verify that Glasgow three-piece Chvrches (pictured) might just be the real deal. Performing for a heaving Digital, they delivered an assured Saturday set of icy-yet-uplifting, Prince-infused synthpop, mixing early singles with tracks from the forthcoming first album. (Including the standout, ‘Science And Vision’). Musical accomplishment aside, you know that a band this comfortable with a crowd has to be a bit special – with Lauren’s unhurried, teasing between-song banter suggesting a confidence that could easily see her blossom into a proper pop star before the year is out. (PM)
DZ Deathrays, Loft
With Aussie hedonists Velociraptor in town for their debut UK shows, it was smart of The Loft to extract the DZ Deathrays duo out of the band’s over-staffed line-up for an exclusive appearance. Unluckily the pair follow Parquet Courts, who’ve just played an chaotically mixed set that cuts off before the crowd are ready. Things are running so late that DZ’s frantic thrash is nearly curtailed after the first minute. They’ve already won the smashed audience over though, so hammer through three more breakneck tracks before surfing into the melee. Maybe the heaviest, certainly the shortest, gig of the festival. (SH)
Kins, Brighthelm Centre
We select ex-pat Melbourne kids Kins from the programme partly due to our ongoing TGE mission to visit unusual venues, and also cos we’re curious to see how their measured, spacious songs are faring since Sea Monsters. The Brighthelm’s theatre is rarely used for gigs, a shame really as it’s large and comfortable, and Kins pull a good sized crowd of the loyal and the curious. It’s the steady, metronomic beat of drummer Alex Knight that defines the band tonight, the rest of the quartet dipping in and out of the extended arrangements. Unforced and unhurried, they’re casually unique. (SH)
Nadine Shah, Haunt
There’s a certain gothic darkness in Nadine Shah’s sound – to the extent she could be mistaken for the child of Nick Cave and Amanda Palmer. Her voice alone brings a sadness to her tales of loss and heartache, a theme particularly evident on ‘Dreary Town’. She closes with ‘Aching Bones’ showing a harder musical edge. However, when her backing band leaves the stage she remains at her keyboard to give a pitch-black rendition of ‘Cry Me A River’ that simply stuns the audience into silence. (SE)
Parquet Courts, Haunt
The first of tonight’s two Parquet Courts shows (they head straight to The Loft after) is their big one: an NME Radar headline that finally gives many people their chance to see the hugely-tipped NY/Texan band live. They don’t disappoint, thundering through the highlights of their part Pavement, part Strokes debut ‘Light Up Gold’ to a crowd who’ve already taken it to their hearts. There’s a smattering of new songs (they announce they’ve just finished recording) snuck in, but it’s deadbeat anthems like ‘Stoned And Starving’ and ‘Master Of My Craft’ that propel the crowdsurfers onto the stage. Shattering. (SH)
Swim Deep, Smack
Despite the best efforts of Birmingham brethren Swim Deep and Peace (and their many industry allies), the self-created B-Town scene is looking pretty flimsy so far – lots of Northsides but no Roses. Swim Deep’s baggy naivety was stretched terribly thin on the Corn Exchange stage on Friday night, but they fare better at this afternoon’s secret Alt Escape slot. They still haven’t overcome their youthful sloppiness – their psychedelic grooves are never gonna work when bassist Cavan McCarthy and drummer Zach Robinson struggle to keep time together – but ‘She Changes The Weather’ and luminous closer ‘King City’ offer flashes of their sunshine potential. (SH)
The Great Escape, Saturday 18th May 2013
Words by Philip Mason, Simon England and Stuart Huggett
Photo by John Speirs
Read our review of Wednesday and Thursday here
Read our review of Friday here
