Music > Live Reviews
The Vagaband, Feral Mouth, Das Fenster & The Alibis // Epic - 09.04.2013
22/04/13
Tonight's gig at Epic was a celebration of home-grown talent. Three Norwich bands, all with their own dedicated followers, were filmed at the old TV studios while the audience danced the night away.
Opening the evening was relatively new band Das Fenster & The Alibis. The macabre trio sang fan favourites like 'Three Days In This Cell' as well as new tracks all with an old school twisted cabaret feel. The studios were probably the largest venue the group have played to date and they took it in their stride. With just drums, double bass and guitar (and occasionally piano) Das Fenster and his boys created the atmosphere of a smoky back street bar where ne’er-do-wells and characters of disrepute gather to drink and dance and scheme. A brilliant set to begin the night and one that was over all too soon.
As the venue filled with more dancing bodies Feral Mouth took to the stage. Their brand of country inspired folk really got people moving and there were clearly some fans in the audience singing along. The five piece, including banjo, guitar and double bass (combined with various checked and striped shirts), drew easy references to folk-popularisers Mumford & Sons – lively, foot-tapping, barndance-esque shenanigans.
The headliners of the evening were a band that many Norwich pub-going folk were already familiar with. The Vagaband, now a stage-busting eight piece, were a huge band with an even bigger sound. Slide guitar, accordion, violin, a flugelhorn and even tin spoons came together to create an almost overwhelming live experience. Considering the group can be watched for free in many of the Fine City's fine boozers of a weekend, it was a testament to their appeal that people had bought tickets and packed out the place. Their finely honed brand of Americana tinged folk and carefully chosen covers was as awesome as ever - a band as at home in the corner of the local as on the big screen of Epic finished off the evening perfectly. To leave the crowd on an even higher buzz, members of Feral Mouth joined The Vagaband on stage for a few encores. A fantastic showcase of Norwich live music awesomeness.