Loverman : 'Human Nature' EP Launch
Where: Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London
When: 28th September 2009
Two days in to this week and already there have been several interesting last minute bits and pieces for me to do. Yesterdays was to go check out the Loverman launch out east, in the delightful confines of Hoxton.
Arriving just in time to grab a beer before Sunderbans take to the stage, admirably performing on borrowed instruments (their’s were stolen after a show the previous Tuesday). Kicking out an aggressive set of songs with big, bold basslines, menacingly underplayed guitars and faintly hypnotic drums. Oddly reminiscent of moody openings, a la Black Flag’s “My War” but with great control and restraint on the rage front, alongside lacings of melody, melancholy and folk influences. A weird combination, but pulled of with great aplomb and dedications to the “C**ts who stole our instruments” by a trio destined for greater things than playing to ten unappreciative people early on in Hoxton
Having been meaning to check out A Grave With No Name for a long time I am finally given the chance this evening and thankfully, it is not a disappointment. Live, they struck up a weird mixture of heavy grunge flavours combined with nineties post rock, if one were to remove all the tedious and unnecessary nonsense most post-rock bands feel the need to pad about eight minutes of their songs out with. So, with all the fat cut off, we are left with a set of fewer than two minutes songs of neo-post-grunge-rock avec samples. Or something. Either way, it’s fucking good fun.
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, erm, man up to the stage next, play a song and I leave. Yep, it turns out I still don’t like them, I still think Fred’s voice is, well, not to my taste and generally find the whole a bit annoying. Cue cigarette break.
Thankfully, Loverman turn out to be somewhat better than this, and kick out a set that sits somewhere between metal and indie as they combine gentle moments of sereneness with blasts of face-meltingly heavy rock. I buy a t-shirt (only £3, FTW!) halfway through and get more beer and settle in for a drunken ride through a savage set that’s somewhat of a visceral thrill. Loud, brash, sensitive, great.
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