Sunday 12 January 2014

Gig Review - The Cadets, Field Studies, Paper Plane Crash - Jamcafé 10/01/14

Written for NottinghamLIVE - find original review here.

Friday night at Jamcafé was a buzzing affair. Standing in the audience for the whole three gigs is basically a few hours of shuffling into a better position/avoiding drink spillages. In hindsight, maybe not the best night to wear heels, but I won't be making that mistake again! It was very busy evening, and people were just itching to hear some of Nottingham's musical offerings...

After sound checking, the stage was graced with THE CADETS, guitar heavy indie rock five piece with gritty vocals from the lead singer/rhythm guitarist. Despite being guitar heavy (bass, two electric and a rhythm guitar), their music had really nice sections, some with meaty rock passages, others with calmer, lighter fingerpicking work, which balanced each other out well. I would even say that there could be more quieter passages where some instruments fall back, as I thought that when this happened, it was particularly effective. Songs which stood out for me were 'Deep Red Eyes', 'Who's Gonna Save You?' and their final song of the evening, 'Rising'. 'Deep Red Eyes' is driven by a repetitive bass hook, on which the rhythmic vocal part is built, where the lyrics are demanding in the chorus: “Can't we be together always?”. The song pushes for answers lyrically and instrumentally, and the repetitions in the parts only highlight the passion felt behind the song. Questions continued to be asked in 'Who's gonna save you?', where the chorus really reiterated the moodiness of the song, and as all guitars were in tow in this track, it felt urgent and full of angst, which worked very well.

After a bit of joking with the band, the audience is prepared for the final song of the evening, 'Rising'. In this number there were some really good demonstrations of the vocal capacities of this band, as the lead singer put down the rhythm guitar and sang solo. His vocals were gritty and added to the rock influences in the music. However, the chorus saw the addition of the second vocalist on the lines “make it double”, which made me smile at its tactfulness. The two vocals suited each other well, but I would have really enjoyed hearing more harmonies, as they sing in unison more often than not, but the harmony sections were well executed and added more depth.

Following on from THE CADETS are ethereal rock band FIELD STUDIES, who brought the tone of the evening to an ambient but moody one. 'Blomst' opened their set, as it does their EP, and was ambient and spacious, with the reverberated guitars creating a thick soundscape, which was cut through by the prominent drums. The sharp vocals (no reverb) contrasted with the instrumental parts delicately, but had an almost melancholy feel due to their stark exposure. The song speaks of desperation and passion and is a brilliant opener.
They followed with a cover of 'There, There' by Radiohead which changed the pace from the first song by beginning with a driving drum beat on which the other instrumental parts built themselves. I thought that they did a fantastic cover, but also feel that the lead vocalist should trust his falsetto more, the small glimpse I had of it was truly lovely. Although maybe we can put that down to warming up.

In 'Island' the pace is turned up a notch, as there are lots of things going on, the parts are all doing something different, and all the parts are working together in counterpoint. Everything fits and works, and with the instrumental section changing the pace and becoming more ethereal, FIELD STUDIES do brilliantly in balancing spaciousness with activity. It's also worth mentioning that throughout the set. their bassist is a king of multitasking, juggling the computer, keys, bass and vocals at any one time. It was impressive! Their final song 'Mother Tongue' ended their set on a high, with powerful vocals and a passionate performance. The melodies are unexpected and feel earnest, which brings the audience in to enjoy their last song with them. It was a mesmerising set full of surprises, especially in certain tracks when ambient foundations were built on with new layers of rock. Their performance was just a joy to watch.

Finally, ending the evening were PAPER PLANE CRASH, a trio of drums, bass, vocals, and electric guitar. They were delightfully grungy, harnessing a bass fuelled set with an interesting use of chords. The female vocalist has a mid-low range which she used to her full advantage. It was great hearing a female musician really comfortable using this part of her vocals. She had a strong and confident delivery, playing bass guitar as she sang, which drew the audience to her. Although grungy, there were pop style hooks at times which livened the moods and promoted unharnessed dancing by the audience members, who are supportive in their singing and cheering.

The deep vocals were contrasted in some numbers by the electric guitar playing in the higher registers, and although sometimes they felt distant from each other, they still worked well and are glued together by passionate drums which keep the songs energetic. 'Barefoot Lies' was one of my favourite songs from their set. It was announced as their quiet one, and was contemplative and understated, letting the sad vocal melodies shine through. In the verses, the bass oscillated beautifully between two notes, which built anticipation and suspense, which didn't really resolve in an obvious manner, which helped me to relate to the lyrics regarding being “stuck in the middle”... it was a beautifully constructed slow number.

Their final track of the evening was 'Beach Fires', with their guitar riff reminding me a bit of Nottingham band Loophole Project. It has a more indie/pop feel to it, and according to the audience, a bit of a dance anthem. The higher pitched vocals were well suited to the track and worked well with the guitar melodies. It is also worth noting that the drummer could barely contain himself throughout the song, resulting in a very enthusiastic and passionate rise off his chair in order to drum standing up. It was great to see such enthusiasm, and also chemistry between the band members as they smiled to each other. They were well received by an audience who demanded an encore which unfortunately was not provided, although this allowed me to dash away to catch my last bus, which I was grateful for! Although I did walk past three piles of puke and two spilt takeaways on my way to the bus stop... The joys of a friday night Nottingham, eh?

By Cassia Helme

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