Waltzing into The Hope and Ruin was a world away from the storm that Brighton was embracing outside – sweaty, sticky bodies were already piling into the sold out event, in lust for what could only be described as a slice of soul-fuzz chaos. Night Beats were now tapping the pulse of their third LP which is released via Heavenly this Friday, aptly titled ‘Who Sold My Generation?’ Taking into account the three teaser tracks we have been treated to over recent months: ‘No Cops’, ‘Power Child’ and ‘Sunday Mourning’ – there seems to be a marked difference and maturing in their sound. The four-to-the-floor garage psychedelia is being morphed into something more grown-up, more prevalent and intriguing – these three examples from the forthcoming album show a step towards more distinct R&B, soulful influences, something that takes Roky Erikson and fuses him with the likes of The Fourtops and Isaac Hayes.
Warming up for Night Beats were the London based quartet, Dead Coast. If Dead Coast couldn’t inspire you to long for hazy days on some far-out trip through the Wild West then I’m not sure what will. Frontman, Luca Bianco swanned onstage dressed in his finest Western get up: tinted sunglasses and denim waistcoat all thrown in for good measure. The sound tied itself tightly around something reminiscent of The Coral circa Magic & Medicine with Captain Beefhart inspired bounce and poignancy – see Dead Coast’s ‘Jenny Loves the Sun’ or ‘Hills Made of Sand’ for the perfect sun kissed psychedelia. Tarantino’s next OST calling? I’m sure. Look no further for Kill Bill Vol.3, Quentin.
Night Beats erupted onto the stage just after 10pm, the crowd by this point were warmed far beyond the point of tepid and they greeted the band in quite the cataclysmic fashion. Stuttered TV screens of static fizzed away through the projector as Lee Blackwell, James Traeger and Jakob Bowden emerged. Opening with howls of feedback and reverberated yelps, Traeger followed suit and pierced through the noise by laying into his drums, Night Beats fell into the set, dragging a mesmerised crowd with them.
The set sped through, shedding an hour away in the blink of an eye. Night Beats showcased hits such as ‘Love Ain’t Strange (But Everything Else Is)’ with it’s raucous, ramshackle opening and chest pumping fuzzed out bass. ‘Rat King’ stood out as a highlight early on, with it’s self-lamenting lyrics and brief pauses of screeching guitar; it marches on as a song in a tribal fashion leaving a sea of right-angled fringes in the crowd nodding along in some hypnotic fashion. ‘The Seven Poison Wonders’ stands out in a fantastic, distinguished way when performed live – as opposed to the recorded version on the sophomore LP, Sonic Bloom, the live incarnation points to the funk, R&B baseline in a more prevalent manner. It takes away from the often over-bearing guitar parts and allows Bowden’s bass to shine through in it’s own, glorified right.
Ultimately however, it is new tracks such as ‘No Cops’ and ‘Power Child’ that really rile the crowd. When I first caught Night Beats, it was at The Shipping Forecast, Liverpool back in 2013. They were great then, don’t get me wrong, however these new tracks not only demonstrate the musical ability of the band in a fresh light but similarly, it shows how the band have grown as performers. They have a much more consistent and confident understanding of how the crowd rubs off on a good stage presence. Voices no longer mumble between songs but Blackwell instead gestures to the crowd, questions the crowd and ultimately takes hints, this evidenced with the returning encore met with enormous raptures.
A point of criticism of the night however is to question the relentless pace of the set. The four-to-the-floor consistency allows for no respite – this may just be a personal gripe, but there never seems to a be a point of reflection for the audience where they can appreciate what is going on. Post-gig, the set largely blends into one. Maybe this is due to the intimacy of the venue which packs you in so tightly, not giving sound much room to expand. It all arrives and whizzes by at 120mph with a flurry of lights shimmering away on the back wall. This cathartic stimulation works for a short set, but for long sets, perhaps more dynamic is required.
Nevertheless, The Hope and Ruin has never appeared so busy, certainly not under my eyes and more to the point, it was cracking fun to dance to. Songs such as ‘Puppet On a String’ demonstrate that Night Beats can write fantastic tracks that evidence some pop-sensibility that can only drag them to a wider audience. Who Sold My Generation? is set to be a tub-thumper of an album when it drops this Friday and is likely to push them towards the baying arms of bigger venues. Keep your eyes peeled.
Tom Churchill
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