Fresh from announcing a major career milestone as a support act for Placebo during a major UK tour, London-via-Bologna band Husky Loops brought their unique genre-defying show to Brighton’s Green Door Store as part of a three date mini-tour of their own. With support from three of Brighton’s freshest and most exciting bands, it was a night where new favourites were discovered and an exciting future glimpsed.
On a strange evening where the crowd never really seemed to fully commit to being at a gig, all four acts had the peculiar issue of having to start their sets to near empty rooms and waiting for the audience to drift back in from drinking outside. First up were Dirty, a three-piece psych-grunge band who played a set filled with Sabbath-level heaviness culminating in the fire and brimstone earth-ravaging riff finale of ‘Rat Trap’. This was heavy rock at its basest and most satisfying level, and it will be interesting to watch this band develop their sound. Following them were Sick Joy, another grunge band to emerge from Brighton but possessing enough quality to emerge from the herd. Vocalist Mykl Barton was not afraid to shout about his influences in a Pixies T-shirt, and it is the quiet-loud dynamic that both they and Nirvana employed to famous effect that also drive Sick Joy. Danny Pitson was a force of nature on bass, ‘Heaven’ bringing the first moshpit of the night to the venue.
Final support of the night were Thyla, who have brewed up a heady mixture of Cocteau Twins and a faster update of the shoegaze indie bands of the early 90s. Millie Duthie is a hypnotic frontwoman, with her otherworldly vocals merging with the same sort of rushing guitar and beat popularised recently by The War On Drugs. Playing here with a harder edge, new single ‘Pristine Dream’ brought her into the crowd to finish off a really promising set. Onto the main show, as Husky Loops showed just why they are one of the most fascinating bands around. As Pietro Garrone sat quietly alone at the drum kit, it seemed as if a soundcheck was about to begin but, instead a deafening sample burst out followed by a crashing drum solo. Joined by bassist Tommaso Medica, riffing together until Danio Forni (vocals/guitar) joined them for a fast-paced run through of ‘The Man’. Dressed all in black with simple floor lighting illuminating the stage, the mood was perfect.
‘Tempo’ sounded just as thrilling tonight live as the first time you heard it, with its almost-but-not-quite synth-rock guitar opening building up to the irresistible “do-do-do-do-do” refrain ending over a crazy riff. It is no hyperbole to say that nobody sounds like Husky Loops, with endless styles contained in a single song. Forni recently spoke about the band existing in a “post-genre world”, and that is apparent with every track tonight. Metal riffs collide with Marvin Gaye samples, funk bounces into punk, there are so many left turns that the casual listener has no idea what is coming next. Perhaps that explained the slightly cold crowd atmosphere, as only a handful of people nodded when asked how many had heard them before. While the atmosphere was good and the performance amazing, there wasn’t the usual frenzied response that you would expect at a Loops show. However, these are the days for spreading the word and nobody will have walked away unimpressed. As their set ended with a mighty version of ‘Dead’, the final words belong to the stunned audience member who simply pointed at the stage and gasped “That was SICK!”
Jamie MacMillan
Website: huskyloops.com
Facebook: facebook.com/huskyloops
Twitter: twitter.com/HuskyLoops