Live Review Bear In Heaven / Bacherlorette / Juffage / Sky Larkin
A night of quality indie at the Brudenell Social Club
Sky Larkin
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Leeds power trio Sky Larkin are the surprisingly high-profile openers tonight, having been signed to and released their debut LP The Golden Spike on the renowned Wichita imprint last year. Their semi-secret appearance can perhaps be put down to old allegiances, as the show is being promoted by local label Dance To The Radio, which released their early singles. It’s an impressively high-octane performance in front of an initially sparse and low-energy Sunday night crowd, the band clearly seizing the opportunity presented by the relatively low stakes to field-test an abundance of new material. Extensive touring on both sides of the Atlantic has developed a remarkable chemistry between the three-piece, underpinned by a growing catalogue of exceptionally fine songs. What really marks Sky Larkin out though is the wonderful economy of their sound, in which Katie Harkin’s exuberant melodies find a perfect foil in Nestor Matthews’ careering drums.
It’s clear that for Chicago-Leeds transplant Juffage the art of performance presents opportunities and challenges quite distinct from those encountered in the studio. On record his desire to innovate informs a sound in which strong songwriting remains the clear focus, but in their live incarnations his songs are more of a catalyst for spectacle. Defying the low-key vibe Juffage lunges and thrashes around an array of instruments, pedals and microphones, looping and layering the constituent parts of his lush compositions, reconstructing them out of nothing. It’s such a hyperactive and technically accomplished display that the songs ultimately play second fiddle to the antics of their creator, which culminate in his charging around the Brudenell laden with cheap stereos in the hopes of creating ad-hoc surround sound.
The out-of-towners are up next, led by Bacherlorette – a bashful New Zealander who makes use of electronics and live visuals to come up with a more coherent take on the hazy dream pop of early Beach House.
Brooklyn psych-rock trio Bear In Heaven bring the night to a triumphant close, a crowd-pleasing version of Animal Collective who compensate for what they lack in gonzo creativity with markedly superior chops.
Bear In Heaven played the Brudenell Social Club on 25 April
Posted on Wednesday 28th April 2010
Greg Elliott
Brudenell Social Club
33 Queens Road, Burley, Leeds, LS6 1NY
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