Howling Bells
It is hard to believe that it is twenty years since Sydney quartet Howling Bells released their self-titled debut album. Now, they are here at the Waterfront Studio with album number six, Strange Life.
It is hard to believe that it is twenty years since Sydney quartet Howling Bells released their self-titled debut album. Led by the Stein siblings Juanita (lead vocals and bass) and Joel (guitar and backing vocals), that first album might only have bruised the lower end of the Top 100, but it got favourable reviews and was nominated for several awards. Three years later they followed it with 'Radio Wars', an album so good that it still regularly gets a spin here at Auckland Towers - tracks like Cities Burning Down and the beautiful Nightingale still making the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. I first saw them live at Norwich Arts Centre in March 2009, a memorable gig that saw them supported by The Joy Formidable and Chew Lips. (I made a mental note to myself at the time – always turn up for the support acts). After that, it went a bit quiet. Five years later I made the journey to London to see them perform at Hackney’s Oslo, soon after the release of album number four. Now, a further twelve years on, they are here at the Waterfront Studio with album number six, Strange Life.
But, before that, the support acts.
Opener Molly Willis, provides yet another example of why you should always get down to the venue in time to hear the support acts. I caught the second half of her Bicycle Shop performance whilst venue-hopping at Wild Paths last October, and had since been keenly awaiting the chance to get to hear her perform a full set. This time, armed with her electric guitar, she impressed me once again with her seven song set that included new single Like A Lady as well as the title track of her soon-to-be released album, Horror Movie. Molly writes songs that covers the range from dark folk-noir to up-tempo pop. Check them out.
Those who were at St Martins Fest in Eaton Park last June will have heard Brighton-based quartet The Roebucks before. A lively mix of blues-rock and alt-country, their unique strength comes in the sharing of lead vocals between drummer Sophie Moloney and guitarist Lola Gordon. Even guitarist Tom Cotter gets to take a turn. The result is a scintillatingly varied seven-song set that begins with the lively Gone Gone Away, and concludes with a cover of the old John Lee Hooker song Dimples. Another act to look out for when they next play Norwich.
With a new album to promote, I guess it was inevitable that Howling Bells' set was going to feature a fair share of new songs that might not yet have received much airplay, and that could be less familiar to the audience. And indeed, the set included no less than seven of the eleven tracks from Strange Life. But, whilst lead single Unbroken is reminiscent of former glories, other songs, such as the swaggering Sweet Relief, rather failed to fire me up. Perhaps it was the rather crowded stage, or the presence of the annoying stage lights, positioned in such a way as to all but silhouette the individual band members, but I failed to get myself totally immersed into the band's performance like I had on previous occasions.
Fortunately, they did include my two favourite tracks from Radio Wars, and the encore featured early single, Low Happening, as well as a well-cool cover of the Neil Diamond song Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (you know, the one that Urge Overkill covered on the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction). However, I still left the Waterfront Studio more impressed by the two support acts than by the headliners.
So it’s a good job I got there early.
