The audience got in early to make sure they had a good spot to see Krill in a room that was fuller than when the headline act was on stage. The Boston three piece have embarked on their first tour outside North America serving up a raw batch of surf-like grunge rock, and have been starting to gain a sizable following after the release of their third album A Distant Fist Unclenching (February 2015). I can imagine a fair proportion of the crowd decided to take a punt with this band after hearing the tremendous session they did on BBC 6Music, as they definitely have a sound that is an acquired taste. If you weren’t prepared for their emo guitars (the good emo from the early 90s) and gloomy vocals with a distinctive effect atop you might have been disappointed. For me this is what’s great about a band that could be likened to The Pixies, another love or hate band. Although Krill looked a little tired from travel and barely chatted to the audience, their quality still prevailed with personal highlights (‘Torturer’ and ‘Tiger’) coming from the new album.

 

Alex G (Giannascoli) gained a fan base after 4 self-released albums on Bandcamp. He remained below the radar until his first-ever mastered and label released album, DSU (2014), which affirmed his cult status. Pennsylvania born Alex G, only 22 years of age, comes up with a super mellow lo-fi rock which becomes a slightly heavier affair on stage, as when producing an almighty scream early on in the set that could only be compared to Ross Geller’s (from Friends) dinosaur impression. Throughout the performance Alex G’s ‘I do what I want’ attitude was a big hit with the adolescent members of the crowd, but failed to gain the respect of the older generations. There was constant backchat from the crowd, leading to a frustrated Alex G who had a joke tantrum onstage, shouting “Shut Up” whilst repeatedly hitting his head. This was, hopefully, a good bit of sarcasm from the American, but it didn’t help his cause. The abiding fans hugely enjoyed his show, creating a mosh pit at the front the stage toward the end, but I felt his performance failed to live up to the hype that his cleverly crafted tunes sometimes command.

Iain Lauder