Vivian Girls, Male Bonding, Trash Kit – London, Dalston Trinity Centre
Vivian Girls
January 25th 2010
Dalston Trinity Centre isn’t your average gig venue. Attached to a church and more accustomed to holding scout groups and nurseries (according to their website), it’s pretty much just a church hall. Intimacy was going to be the order of the evening then, rather than sound quality for instance, which was fine, as the three bands on the bill specialise in lo-fi, noisy pop songs that sound at home in small venues like this. Once gig-goers had worked out how to get into the venue (you had to ring a bell) and come to terms with the fact that there was no bar (the local off license probably did a roaring trade), the venue filled up quickly. The stage was lit by just two lamps – a fitting precursor to the simple, effective music that was going to be on show.
Trash Kit are an East London trio that formed in early 2009. Faces painted and full of nervous energy, the band take a few songs to fall into their stride but once they do, with songs like ‘Cadets’ in particular, they become easy to love. They’re a curious mix of The Raincoats (a violin appears at one point), Sung Tongs-era Animal Collective and DNA, but their songs do more than revel in twee, primitive nosie-makingand address subjects like personal identity. They’re one of a number of bands emerging from the creative DIY scene in East London at the moment, and an album is imminent.
If Trash Kit are just starting to distinguish themselves from the DIY herd, then Male Bonding are on the verge of completely transcending it. Signed to Sub Pop, and also with an LP on the way, 2010 could be a big year for them. Fittingly, I first saw them this time last year, supporting Vivian Girls, and since then constant touring has honed their grunge-surf-rock songs into tight, powerful pop entities. Powered by Robin Silas Christian’s powerful drumming and the close interplay between John Arthur Webb and Kevin Hendrik on guitar and bass, the band seem to effortlessly throw out these unavoidable melodies amid the controlled chaos. ‘Pumpkin’ and ‘Year’s Not Long’ remain highlights, but new songs continue to creep into their sets, suggesting that the promise of their early singles could be about to be realised.
Vivian Girls are always a great prospect live, their much-fawned-over girl group harmonies underneath all that noise in a heady mix that leaves you a little dazed, a little charmed, a little bit in love. Recently though, the girls have been all about falling out of love – last year’s Everything Goes Wrong possessed songs as good as those on their self-titled debut but, as the title indicates, lacked the simple joy of songs like ‘Tell The World’. While the mood does sometimes dip a bit during their set, their short sharp songs mean they can change the tone quickly if they want (their songs are gradually getting longer though – who’d bet against a full-on stoner-rock record from them in a few years’ time if things don’t improve, man-wise?).
The biggest response of the night, though, came midway through their set. The three members of the band stepped forward and did an acapella version of The Chantel’s ‘He’s Gone’. It’s poignant and unexpected, and puts the rest of their set in a completely different light.
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