@alpaca.presents
by Brandon van der Berg @vdb.brandon
I think there is something about a significantly hot venue that thickens up the music; the humidity carries a blunt power, the balmy temperature eases your nerves and the nostalgic discomfort becomes a shared form of catharsis and empathy to which both the crowd and bands can reliably comment on to be well received. Another great night of live music with an emphasis on entertainment and production value. Read about the acts of the night below. CALLOUT
As if early days Green Day had a bad breakup with Metallica and then a really good rebound with Jimmy Eat World while Fall Out Boy watched anxiously from a dark corner. The frontman is fun and charismatic and as a performer, he is immersed. He serves raw passionately delivered vocals with a side of slight unassured pitch at times. A lot of the arrangement feels unrefined and inattentively cured at times but that’s the hallmark of a newer band. You need to look at the potential. This band have bunches and bunches. They know when to keep things simple, everyone is having fun and there is a clear sense of friendship on stage, the arrangement, yes, can be a bit loose occasionally but I was won over by the consistency and reliability of the hooks and when everything did come together it was impressive and dead catchy. Full of power and a band to follow closely. There is a clear sense of progression and intent in their songwriting and dynamically I thought they really keep you engaged and interested in familiar but refreshing ways. There is a certain level of respect demanded by a band this humble on stage, just having fun and entertaining with good music that you can absolutely see getting really good in the years to come. At least it was right up my alley. Every time I looked over to the rhythm guitarist, he donned a goofy laugh and wholesome eyes and it’s very easily charming to see someone so proud of their band there to share the love with the crowd. For Fans Of Jimmy Eat World, Metallica and Green Day Find them on Instagram 5AM FIRE ALARM
This is the second time 5AM Fire Alarm are gracing the Alpaca Website. I was quite interested to see them on a different stage, PA and apparently with an updated set and was not disappointed. The thick whine beneath the vocals creates a definitive and recognisable attention to pitch, certainly not an unheard-of vocal tone but perfect for this music. The most natural autotune. Or maybe he can just sing, couldn’t be that though right? Again, great performers. Performatively, they do a great job at filling out a smaller stage without overdoing it. That authenticity of a performance really isn’t overlooked. To look over to the guitarist who is holding a very tended-to bottle drunkenly hopping around the stage singing along like a mum at a Taylor Swift concert was all the more reason to let go and match the energy. And kind of empathetically funny. The crowd definitely met them head-on. The room was fuller than balls on December first and the frontman became increasingly confident, alongside ticket sales and his friends peppered throughout the crowd, egging him on. The music is absolutely down with Arctic Monkeys especially their song “How to Try”. That hook is so playful and refreshing and the exhaustive slurred ends of the words create something effortlessly cool and ear-wormy. The keys player is very appropriate. Also taller? There is always movement there, a considerate arrangement to enhance the mix and a good performance that keeps it light and fun. Everyone in the crowd was having a stellar time, shouting, talking, dancing and swaying in groups all in support of the music and proof that what they were doing was working. There is a slower song at the end that I think needed a bigger focus on dynamics. The other material is so on it and impressive dynamically It feels strange or a bit too mellow to have a song so dreamy but smooth for the duration. At least it felt like a missed opportunity to experiment towards the end to recapture people’s attention. But despite that, fantastic set and a really entertaining band to go and see especially when it’s so EASY TO DANCE to their music. For Fans Of Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party. Find them on Instagram or Spotify EUAN MORRISS The vocals are intimate and really easy on the ears. Imagine Sea Girls and Ed Sheeran being very suave. In the early half of the set, you are introduced to some full-band stabs. The way Euan uses them to enhance the song dynamically leaves you with that smiling stank face it’s an interesting delivery and use of them. That ambient reverb really contrasts with the punch and power of the stops. I would say some of the songs could benefit from a greater encouragement towards resolution; tension and teasing are great but resolution is equally important, especially in pop. The bass and guitar lines are intricate and the slow dance along the stage is very cool in a nonchalant enthusiasm which is used to carry over to the rest of the stage to great effect. I also can really appreciate how much care is taken to give the spotlight to the frontman whilst still holding an engaging performance and they worked together really well. The drummer is the nicest dude on planet Earth and more weirdly ripped than your average drummer typically is. Always smiling and during a slow song taking the first step in raising a swaying phone torch to get the crowd to follow along creating pure white daylight in a dimly lit venue room. An incredibly well-performed, consistent, percussionist who has a great handle on dynamics. Very tasteful. Chefs Kiss. Although this is made clear to be a group of choice session players, as Euan puts it “My names on the tin but it would mean f*ck all without these boys”. Now for the main event. The Morriss event. The Euan of it all. The songs are refined and upbeat and really catchy. Something you can rarely find in the live scene in Bristol nowadays is a pop act like this at this calibre without a £30 price point. Euan’s vocals are great and completely hold up under scrutiny. There is integrity behind his technique and unquestionably behind his music. His performance is full and developed. The brief chances an instrumental frontman has to perform between vocal phrasing is often the last thing developed in the act; he takes the opportunity every time tastefully even disguising the mic technique into a less obvious dance around the microphone and that is GREAT to see. As a frontman, his confidence and flawless performance/attitude on stage is rewarded. Very professional crowd interaction and a charismatic demand they follow along and participate is impressive. This type of crowd usually holds back and is hesitant about participation and the fact that he got everyone to go along with it was very impressive and surprised me. He has great patience with the audience and helps them when he wants them to join in. His song writing is really catchy and trustworthy.
Comentários