Last night I attended the Shockwaves NME Tour in Norwich, a tour which is renowned for showcasing a mixture of upcoming artists and established headline acts. As has been the case for many years, the 2011 tour consists of four acts, this year they were (in order of appearance); The Vaccines, Everything Everything, Magnetic Man and Crystal Castles.
The evening was opened by The Vaccines; who are hotly tipped by music experts and fans to make a positive impact in 2011. Their debut album What did you expect from The Vaccines? is released on March 14th, I am greatly anticipating this release based on the few tracks that I have already heard. The band recently finished third in a BBC poll predicting the Sound of 2011.
On stage The Vaccines combine a Ramones-esque punk sound with charismatic showmanship performing fan favourites such as Post Break Up Sex and Wreckin’ Bar Ra Ra Ra to rapturous audience acclaim. It was pleasing to see an opening act receive such a positive and energetic response from the audience, especially as many of the tracks played are yet to be released. I must add that in my experience audiences in Norwich have been very receptive of new acts. My favourite track of the entire evening was If You Wanna which highlights the problem of moving onfrom an ex-partner, incorporating witty lyrics such as 'I don't wanna do things independently but I can't make you stay. That's what all my friends I don't like as much as you say'. It was performed passionately by the four piece who seemed more relaxed whilst playing a song which hasn’t been as closely scrutinised and reviewed by the media.
Second on the bill were Everything Everything, a band who have emerged as a significant indie-pop act over the past few years. Their debut album Man Alive which was released in 2010 (despite work of the album dating back as far as 2008) has proved a success, reaching number 17 on the UK album chart, a considerable feat for an alternative act competing in a generic and highly commercialised market.
As a live band, Everything Everything utilise innovative keyboard playing and a strong drum beat to produce catchy songs, which are particularly invigorating when performed live. As enjoyable as singles Photoshop Handsome and Suffragette Suffragette were, lead singer Jonathan Higgs seemed slightly nervous which appeared to spread to the other members of the group. A slight lack of confidence is understandable especially considering their alternative vocals and their rapid increase in popularity, however their stage presence does need improving if they are to reach their potential as a live band. Perhaps smaller venues are the best way to see this talented band in their element at this moment in time.
The penultimate act were Magnetic Man, a collaboration of electronic and dubsteb artists, all of whom are highly regarded in their field. The ‘band’ emerged to four laptops and were greeted by an exhilarated crowd eagerly anticipating the next forty minutes. As I touched upon earlier, the beauty of this tour is the variety and diversity of acts; however I do find it difficult to comprehend how artists using laptops and an MC to spark the crowd can be truly considered as live music. Personally the music played seemed stereotypical of alternative club music and had no features that distinguished it as a live performance. Having listened to and enjoyed the single Fire, I was disappointed to find that without Ms. Dynamites’ powerful voice the track was merely another four minute reverberation in an uninspiring set. Using a crude example; you wouldn’t buy a ticket to an Arctic Monkeys concert and then willingly accept news that Alex Turner was unavailable to perform, but the rest of the band would attempt to improvise.
My biggest issue was that I felt I could have been in any club anywhere in the world listening to this set. In my opinion the reliance on laptops/Macs immensely devalues live music and removes a crucial factor of live performance; being able to see the technical skills which a group possess. Magnetic Man’s use of laptops made the performance seem rehearsed and made the set seem less unique.
I must point out that Magnetic Man received the greatest audience acclaim which baffled me; to me the music seems pretentious and a way of gaining status and respect within youth subcultures.Perhaps I am misguided and should be considering how influential dubstep is in terms of appealing to a wider range of ethnicities than indie music for example. If so then why is this? Why is indie music dominated by white bands and how can this be changed? In comparison dubstep artists appear to come from a considerably wider racial demographic. Obviously this alone can’t be the reason for its popularity as music isn’t judged on race, but taste.
Back to the gig itself; Crystal Castles headlined the stage playing for approximately fifty minutes. Their lively if not considerably trashy style seemed to appeal to the audience even if their lyrics were indecipherable and their set seemingly a single song with the occasional slight variation. Overall I was disappointed with the headline act, I felt they relied too much on their lighting and eccentric performance and didn’t focus heavily enough on musical content. However, I must congratulate and praise lead vocalist Alice Glass for playing despite having her foot in a cast and requiring a crutch for the entire set.
Please post comments below or facebook message me (nico.bryant). If you disagree with anything I’ve said please take me up on it J Cheers
Songs referenced by band;
The Vaccines:
Post Break Up Sex (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU9hrd35Dsg )
Wreckin' Bar Ra Ra Ra (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=097-9oDzzqo )
If You Wanna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNYdXs85438)
Everything Everthing:
Qwerty Finger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-hOTutTcyc)
Photoshop Handsome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5h2LRvBQ5Q)
Magnetic Man feat. Ms Dynamite:
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