It was a joy to see how Manchester band Louche (previously Louche FC) have developed in the months since I first saw them. Their experimental shoegaze has gained confidence and coherence, and lead singer Kyoko got an affirmative answer when she asked early in the set: 'is their enough reverb on the vocals?'. Their sound is all about the fuzz, and they created a dreamy atmosphere, but it's gained a new conviction. The lyrics are often about love, and are thoughtful, in common with the overall conception. They surely now deserve to break out of the local scene and gain wider recognition. Kyoko had easily the best voice I heard this evening too.
Yet the crowd was queuing down the street to see We Are Augustines, the three piece from Brooklyn who've only just released their first album Rise, Ye Sunken Ships in the UK. They have the saddest back story I can remember. Augustines rose from the ashes of Pela, which broke up due to the strains of an unsympathetic record company and the tragedy in Billy McCarthy’s life. His brother James committed suicide after suffering from schizophrenia and spending four years in solitary confinement in prison for attacking a worker in a shelter for drug addicts. McCarthy's mother also killed herself when he was 19, again suffering from schizophrenia. Billy never knew his father and had been raised in foster care; the album is heavily influenced by his own fight against depression. He said last night’s gig was a celebration for the album release, which is a testament to his perseverance. It was named best alternative album in iTunes’ year-end review, and also made my own top 50 of 2011.
The songs resonate strongly with these struggles: Augustine for example confronts McCarthy's own battle with depression: "Keep your head up, kid / I know you can swim but you gotta move your legs". The most heartfelt was Book of James which closed the gig: "Just know we tried and you’re forgiven" confronts his guilt about his brother's death; this song is truly memorable. Chapel Song was also a highlight, with anthemic appeal; it's about the heartache of seeing the girl you love walking down the aisle with someone else. The predominant emotion though was anger, epitomised by the raw emotion in songs like Juarez. There's no doubting their heartfelt authenticity, but I found it at times a little bombastic. Even so, the religious language of many songs is fascinating, and tantalisingly suggests a hidden story.
Seeing Augustines live is quite different experience to listening to the album at home: the punk like energy is astonishing, McCarthy and his bassist Eric Sanderson bounding around the stage, dripping with sweat. He seemed genuinely moved and grateful for the reception that the rapturous crowd in the small, packed venue gave The album isn't short, and they only played ten songs, including the two encores: McCarthy apologised for the curfew, but I can't imagine how anyone could sustain that level of physical and mental exertion for much longer than 45 minutes.
Yet, for me, impassioned though it was, and involving the stagecraft, I found McCarthy's strained voice troubling. His vocals are gravelly and rough, certainly expressive, but not necessarily easy on the ear. Classical music tends to trade involvement for refinement and precision, and by contrast this was wonderfully liberated (fuelled by generous measures of Jameson). Yet I missed some of the instrumental subtleties on the album (not helped by the keyboard being silenced by technical problems throughout much of the set). Bands like Portugal. The Man deliver an immensely energetic show with greater musical coherence, and I prefer a 60's influence to McCarthy's 80's leanings. Yet, I'm pleased I've experienced We Are Augustines, and I'm excited for their second album.
Set List
Rise
Ballad
Juarez
Gospel
Headlong into The Abyss
Strange Days
Augustine
Chapel Song
Philadephia
Book of James
No comments:
Post a Comment