Music > Live Reviews

Tibetan Night Terrors

Norwich Arts Centre

24/04/18

It is Friday night and a toss-up between Birds of Hell at Bedford’s Crypt or Tibetan Night Terrors at NAC. Having seen BoH already this year and given that Graceland are supporting, TNT win out, just. 

Billy Lubach opens proceedings. My first thought is that we probably don’t need (yet) another guitar-toting singer-songwriter but, thankfully, Lubach is not just another guitar-toting singer-songwriter. The songs are deceptively simple but effective. There’s some interesting and unusual rhythms in the playing, with Lubach’s glorious, high, clear voice over the top. The songs are somehow melancholic and almost mournful yet uplifting and jaunty and receive a strong response from the audience.

Hailing from Brighton and Oxford, Bright Works are appealingly shambolic and good humoured and more than a little like Pavement in the presentation. Theirs is a sound that is to Django Django what Django Django are to the Phantom Band and the Phantom Band are to the Beta Band, although there are also hints of Talking Heads and Cardiacs. With an air of eccentricity, keyboard playing lead vocalist Liam has a voice that takes in Lyndon, Pere Ubu’s David Thomas, Ian Drury and Nick Cave. Peter (guitars/vox), Steve (bass) and Charlie (drums) are a little more conventional in their performance and stagecraft. It has to be said that there is a bit of a dilemma here: if Bright Works played things straighter and, I dunno, more professionally, they could pick up a large fan base but they’d lose the wonkiness and the unconventionality that, for me, makes them so likeable. 

It has been over a since I law saw Graceland. I’ve loved this band since I first saw then but tonight the sound is heavier and darker than I remember and is, perhaps, all the better for it. There are palpable hints of the Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine in the guitars that I had not picked up on previously, whilst vocalist/guitarist Ellie’s vox have, at times, an element of Kim Gordon about them. On vocalist, guitar and keys, Rosie is as engaging and entertaining as ever. The Gedge twins Stevie (bass) and Maxie (drums) bring it all together with some aplomb. All in all, this may just be the best set I have seen from this lot.

Tibetan Night Terrors bring this to a close with their high-energy (or should that be NRG?), indie tinged, calypso infected 70s disco. I’ll be honest, TNT’s music isn’t entirely to my tastes but they always, always deliver an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable show. Tonight is no different.  Perhaps disturbingly, vocalist/guitarist Ben Wong takes to the stage looking like he has just finished filming a new Moneysupermarket hot pants advert and sashays around the stage accordingly. Perhaps thankfully, the rest of the band avoids the (too) tight shorts but that doesn’t stop them strutting their stuff with seemingly boundless enthusiasm.

Tonight, we have four different acts playing in very different styles but all delivering thoroughly enjoyable sets. And that, my friends, is a very good thing indeed.