Everything Everything at the Pyramids Portsmouth (with Stealing Sheep) ~ Review

'You managed to fill this whole room, thank you,' smiles Jonathan Higgs, just before launching into Distant Past, their final song (pre-encore.). Thing is, it's not really surprising that we did- not because the Pyramids is naturally an intimate venue, but because the band itself are frankly fucking awesome live, and it really was a privilege to be witnessing it.

The set begins with 'To The Blade'- anyone who didn't know the track most likely assumed the band had chosen to start off with something slow, simple, and threadbare- but then one minute in, the bass, drums and guitar drop, and the crowd erupts, and suddenly the Pyramids seems full, complete, absolutely raving and exalting, feeling the bass in our collective chests. The set continues, featuring tracks old and new, the crowd-pleaser Kemosabe, evolving Cough Cough and babbling jargon of Photoshop Handsome. This is alongside favourites of the new album, Get To Heaven: the catchy Regret, Distant Past, obscure No Reptiles and the stirring but significantly motivating and inspiring Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread.

Albeit surreal, Everything Everything have established their alt-pop niche, thanks to Higgs' wide-ranged voice, often erupting into falsetto, resting on foundations of electronica, glitch pop, R&B and psych rock. It almost purposefully seems as if Higgs does not want his tracks to be singalong- it's virtually impossible with rapping-style, fast complexities of words upon words with which you can barely keep up, particularly prominent in 'Photoshop Handsome' and 'Distant Past'. However choruses such as 'Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread' get us all chanting and reflecting.

Jonathan Higgs

However, this doesn't deter from the fantastic sounds of Stealing Sheep, the support band.

Clad in neon tights and leotards, and armed with a few keyboards, a basic drum kit, a drum machine and one guitar, the girl trio established the true meaning of Girl Power. Perfectly in sync, they layered vocals in immaculate harmony, frequently using effective delay FX. Their tracks were polished with rhythmically fitting, tight, often complex drums. A wistful mix of styles both old and new, and on occasion sounding vaguely pagan and folky, the girls exhibited a warming DIY feel which still felt so effortlessly new and futuristic.

Stealing Sheep

An all round fantastic night of music hosted by the Pyramids in Portsmouth.

-Squirete

{all photos belong to Ella Squire}

Boxed In at the Boileroom Review

Not many bands can successfully pull off a live cover of 'This Must Be The Place' by the Talking Heads that I can agree with. My ultimate 'good day' track was given a new lease of life, but stayed loyally true to the original.

Oli Bayton, otherwise known as his stage name Boxed In, is a new, indie funk artist focused on live, crisp dance beats, heavily effected, delay drenched vocals and the addition of clean, bright piano cluster chords. Bayton is arguably a very talented keyboard player, playing immaculately syncopated chords that work so well against the ambient sound of their music, and receded vox layered over the top. This is by no means overshadowing the accompanying band, who effectively layer the complex chords and vocals with the addition of further bright keys, tight drums and bass to thicken the texture to create an ambient sound that still sounds so effortlessly funky. Tracks such as 'Mystery' and 'False Alarm' managed to create a dancy atmosphere that still felt cloudily intimate.

It may be his effective use of syncopation, or finally further use of that perfectly clean piano sound (which is horrifically underrated) but something about Boxed In is just so different and new that it really excites me to see what the future holds for them.

Here's a short video I took of their cover of 'This Must Be The Place'- don't try to tell me it's not brilliant. Sorry for not the best quality!!

-Squirete