Methyl Ethel, for those not acquainted with the group, began as Jake Webb’s reverb-soaked bedroom project in Perth, Australia. Perth has become the musical hotbed for Australia with the gigantic psychedelic-shaped footprint of Kevin Parker paving the way for most other artists. Webb’s bedroom project soon grew into a fleshed-out beast when members from the Perth music scene began to rotate through the group filling in on bass and drums. This allowed for it to become the touring and recording machine that it is nowadays. After a successful Brighton debut at The Great Escape Festival back in May, Lout were hot on their tails to drag them back.

As a set, it was very short but it was sweet enough to rot your pearly whites. It’s odd how clichés like that seem to pop-up time and time again, each time managing to strike just as much sentiment with what you are trying to piece together. To be honest though, there is short and then there is skirting the line of letting the crowd down slightly. Some in the audience may feel miffed about the fact the set barely made it over half an hour before the curtain was closed. It was a headline set that saw Methyl Ethel come onstage slightly later than their scheduled time of 10:20 only to depart just before 11. Bands may aim to do this to keep the audience hooked throughout, to maintain that initial captivation. Methyl Ethel are a band that have a full-length LP and EP tucked under their belt though, surely they could have stuck around for a little longer?

This was a slight shame because throughout the set the music and performance stood head, shoulders and torso above many live acts. Their debut album, Oh Human Spectacle, released in February of this year brings together hints of contemporary psychedelia with blends of trip-hop and a sincere love for a lo-fi aesthetic. The sugarcoated dream-pop can bridge sugarcoated hooks with down-tempo R&B grooves.

Lo-fi is a musical trimming that can occasionally appear about as tacky as B&Q’s Christmas lighting. Methyl Ethel work well with it this evening though. Through the likes of ‘Shadowboxing,’ frontman and guitarist, Webb, ushered his distinct disarming voice above drunken lo-fi layers. The textural backdrop which was formed through decayed reverb allowed the three-piece to sound much bigger and fuller on the likes of ‘Obscura’ than they would have done without it.

The pop-hooks in the set largely fall at the feet of their single, ‘Twilight Driving’ – a song that tampers with Deerhunter’s jangling guitar lines. It acts as a refreshing summer breeze tonight cutting through space-bound walls of reverb. These pop-induced beams of light linger around Webb’s fantastic knack for writing a great melody. ‘Rogues’ is purely 80s guitar-pop at heart; it is completely escapist in its message and comes to life tonight. These two songs are certainly where the crowd become their most animated this evening. Webb tries to shatter the fourth wall between the band and audience with pass through jokes and wry comments. Unfortunately for him the ad-libs need a bit of TLC as he confesses that he will ‘just stick to the music’ – probably for the best.

The baking heat of Australia outlines much of the music that Methyl Ethel pour out of them. Their live presence oozes this sense of summer adventure and journey. Despite the set feeling abruptly cut short, it still warmed The Prince Albert for the time it was on. With much of the set standing upon the album’s standout tracks – the aforementioned ‘Twilight Driving’ and ‘Rouges’ as well as ‘Idée Fixe’ – it’ll be interesting to see how they progress. There is only so much dynamic they can carry with their current musical outlook. Next time they come to town, they may be an entirely different entity completely and will hopefully stick about onstage for longer.
Tom Churchill
Photos by Sarah Caust

Website: methylethel.com
Facbeook: facebook.com/methylethel
Twitter: twitter.com/MethylEthel