#bristolbands

First of all, I’d like to establish that this article – an EP Release Show review for the recently released Youth EP – might be slightly obscure and hard to follow if you’re used to normal release show reviews, however, all I need is your trust and willingness to see through my erratic review, if I get that then all will be well. I promise I do have points to make, it just may not seem that way at points, but I do. But hey, now we’ve established that I have your trust and willingness, I can do anything really can’t I? I’m untouchable. I could spend the next 500 words speaking about the great value of huge fast food chains or something ridiculous like that.

On Saturday the 20th, before I arrived at the release show, I got a £5 Subway lunch deal; now, I thought that £5 lunch deal was going to be the best value experience I received that day – and yes, I do consider a Subway £5 lunch deal an experience – however, this release show pleasantly surprised me. The three bands I saw played way beyond their status, and perhaps should’ve all been on a bigger stage than that of the Louisiana’s, however, maybe the small stage was what added to the greatness of their sets. I’ve always thought a lot of bands thrived off intimacy. This experience, that only cost me £4, was an undeniably enjoyable experience, and arguably was much better value than my pre-show meal. Who would’ve thought? A little show tucked away at The Louisiana better value than a Subway lunch deal, which, if you ask me, is pretty damn good value.

The reason I stated that this review was going to be somewhat erratic is because I don’t hold my knowledge of music, or my ability to articulate to specifics of why music’s good to very high regard. So, instead, I will compare each act to the specifics of a certain movie, and why that certain movie was enjoyable. In other words, I’ll embarrassingly try to conceal my, which can only be explained as underdeveloped, musical opinion in obscure metaphors. And this is why I need your trust and willingness, however, as I said, I do have a point. At this point I’d quickly like to say that I missed the first band that played, and I can only apologize for that. To the first band (that I saw). Towers were great. Towers, for me, were the 2011 movie hit Crazy, Stupid, Love. Crazy, Stupid, Love burst its way into our hearts with its great cast, and with its uncanny knack to take a film that has been done to death, and do it with style. Such levels of style made it feel like it was the first time you were watching a romantic comedy, and that sensation made it one of the more enjoyable films I’ve seen in a long time. The film made me feel refreshed, and ready to appreciate the little nuances in romantic comedies that makes them great. It did this through clever dialogue, great on-screen chemistry, and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, who are, let’s all admit it, the most likeable actors in Hollywood? And as I said, for me, this is what Towers were. They played a certain type of music I have heard many times before, but they did it with undeniable style. It all felt very fresh and alive. And, to be honest, the only criticism you can have of bands that sound like other bands is that they don’t feel fresh and alive. They had the cast, they had the chemistry, but most of all, they had the end product. I’d seriously recommend listening to Towers. They’ve re-opened my eyes to the world of alternative indie, a world I thought I left a long time ago. But as I said with Crazy, Stupid, Love, the way in which they took an overdone genre and made it alive, opened my eyes to the great little nuances of said genre.

Towers were followed by Doppelganger. Doppelganger’s set was really fun, but somewhat predictable. However, in the contexts of their set, I don’t think should be considered a criticism. The predictability of when song was about to go crazy, with a phrase I’ve always tried to avoid, swinging guitar riffs, is what made it enjoyable. In American Psycho Patrick Bateman calls Phil Collin’s new music – in comparison to Genesis’ works – much more enjoyable, but in a more narrow sense. Although I am not comparing Doppelganger’s set to other music, I believe that quote is just too apt for what I want to say. I’d compare Doppelganger’s set to Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain. Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain was a predictable but great movie. The predictability, as usually the case with Michael Bay movies, is where the greatness is laid. The explosions, the fast paced action cuts, the tongue-in-cheek cheesy dialogue, we expect all of these things from a Michael Bay movie, and that’s why we enjoy them, because it fits perfectly within that certain genre. And that’s why I feel the comparison works, what Doppelganger were playing was, in my opinion, predictable and not exactly ground breaking, however, this didn’t stop the crowd enjoying it. Doppelganger arguably got the best reception with their high octane set, and Michael Bay is one of the highest grossing directors of the last decade. There’s a place for it. If Doppelganger continue to play their ‘enjoyable but in a narrow sense’ music and enthuse crowds nationwide, they sure will have a bright future.

Now to Youth. At this point in the night I thought I was a lucky fella. I had turned up relatively late, but still essentially seen two whole sets, and two whole good sets at that. However, it turned out not to be luck, and rather be bad time keeping. Due to this, the headliners, the EP releasers, the host…ers, had to make due with a three song set. This was a real shame as many had attended on their behalf, however, in many regards it could’ve acted as a benefitting circumstance for the Youth lads; they got to blast out their hits and then leave, in turn, leaving the crowd wanting more.

Although not obtaining a world changing sound, Youth were definitively the more niche band of the night. With a much more stripped back sound to that of Doppelganger and Towers, one would think Youth would have quite the task following such sets, yet, it seemed to work well. However, rather than it working well as fate of chance, it most probably was down to Youth opening the set with their fastest and most intense song, and then following that with their slower more stripped back songs. I’d compare Youth to that quirky, independent sort of film that has potential to a box office success, but then isn’t. However, it does become a cult hit and is celebrated by many. Youth’s sound, which has hard to ignore parallels to artists such as Ben Howard, certainly has the potential to take the world by storm. It isn’t quite there yet, but that isn’t a bad thing. I think the cult hit potential sound that Youth have right now is great and very enjoyable, however, they glaringly need time to grow as band. And when you can thoroughly enjoy a band’s set and be in awe of the music they’ve presented, however, still feel like the band are nowhere near their peak and have room to grow, well then you’re in for a great time. Being an avid fan of music my whole life, I can say this is sometimes the most enjoyable thing with being a follower of a band; you listen to their first release and like it, and then the band take a couple of years to play and write, then they release their second album or EP, and you love it. You can hear the progressive strides the band has taken, and you can somewhat be part of that. Youth are about to embark on a journey, and I’d seriously recommend joining them now, then you can be that cool hipster person who knew them before they were big… and who doesn’t want to be that really cool guy? Check out the bands here: https://soundcloud.com/towersband https://www.facebook.com/Doppelgangermusic/app/204974879526524/ www.youthbanduk.bandcamp.com

   And although I didn’t see this band, I’d still recommend going to check them out: