Nightbox, Yes Cadets, EatenByBears - Belfast
Nightbox, Yes Cadets, EatenByBears
Stiff Kitten, Belfast
Wednesday 31st September
The Stiff Kitten feels a little empty tonight - perhaps that's the curse of a Wednesday night - but there's a decent crowd huddled round the front of the stage for one of Belfast's rising stars in Eatenbybears. On the basis of tonight's performance we're feeling a little underwhelmed but we can see the promise that provides the reason why so many are raving about the math-punk collective.
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Violinist Aidan Kelly manages to nail the surprisingly tricky skill of dancing while playing, his pizzicato violin adding another percussive element into the mix while providing searing melodies when needed. As you would expect from the genre there's offbeat rhythms and a dark, deep intensity underlying their music: we're treated to drones and distorted guitars with the occasional hook thrown in for good measure. The singles 'Spite Houses' and 'Vanderhoof' sound almost as impressive as they do on record, but problems crop up throughout the set. Timings are a little off, especially when the drums pull out for the odd guitar solo, and the harmonies aren't as tight as they should be, but we're intrigued. We'll chalk this up as an off night for the band (especially considering their victory in the Pick for the Picnic competition) and reserve our judgment for the next time we hear them.
Yes Cadets have improved significantly over the past twelve months. We knew they could write catchy songs as evidenced in "Fashionista Art Party" and "Charm Offensive" but this incarnation of the band seems to have developed real substance and a focus upon the sound that they want to produce. The delay-ridden My Bloody Valentine-esque guitars grow and decay as Alan Haslam's high-pitched and controlled vocals deliver murky tales of love and lust.
The sugar coated sounds of Canada on record have been reworked to demonstrate this change: the glitzy synths have taken a backseat, the guitars come to the forefront and it suddenly becomes a glorious track. Haslam and drummer Lisa Mageean's harmonies are on song tonight, and Mageean has vastly improved behind the kit much to our delight. Finale "Le Mans" leaves us wanting more, reminding us that they haven't forgotten how to write a decent melody while retaining all of the qualities that have transformed Yes Cadets. Are we excited about what's still to come from this band? Hell yes.
Snappy dress sense? Check. Synth heavy sound? Check. On a Kitsune Compilation? Check. In all honesty we could have been talking about dozens of bands but tonight it's the turn of Irish natives/Toronto based band Nightbox to thrill us in their own delightful way. With a dazzling light show - probably one of the best we've witnessed from a band of this stature - we're treated to a ridiculously fun and snappy set that seems to lay out their influences for all to see. The rhythms are fabulous, reminiscent of the neo-electronica sounds of Delphic and even borrowing a little from the tribal beats of Paul Simon's Graceland.
Amusingly, the band trot out a very passable synth pop cover of 'You Can Call Me Al' halfway through the set. It's hardly reinventing the wheel, but it gets us dancing. The glitchy synths and the guitars sound delightful but tracks are fairly shallow in terms of substance and lyrically boring- that being said, by jove do they know how to write a hook. The chorus of 'Relocate You' is a laser guided earworm that's destined to be rolling around your head for weeks while 'Pyramid' is the sort of track you'd see soundtracking a sunkissed American teen drama. They do what they do well, and we can ask for little more than that.
Patrick Kane
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