NoGlum Issue 3 Launch Party
On a busy night in the city, NoGlum, Norwich’s widely circulated music and art zine is having their Issue 3 launch party.
Opening for the evening was doom-pop (and teasingly named) duo Special Guest. They combine synthesised beats with wailing, screaming, humour and dread. In their curious blend of Sleaford Mods and Go-Kart Mozart Jas and Eli really demonstrate the giddy heights that a duo can achieve. Closing with slo-mo fisticuffs and a contorted embrace on the showfloor, Special Guest set the mood of the night superbly.
Second on the list was Hex Friends, playing their own style of wonky grunge rock. With Dinosaur Jr. growls, Hole-like vocals and driving beats. Following on and bringing a similar American-grit are Uzumaki. Uzumaki show off their wonderfully west-coast infused pop-punk shoegaze. Ultimately those add a whole other dimension to their driving grunge backbeat, with searing guitar and sheer volume behind them, they make for a compelling watch. Alex Cheung’s (lead vocals) charm really exciting the atmosphere.
Crescendoed and closed by Pigeonhole. The London-based 7-piece featuring trumpet and tambourine brought with them their layered, psychedelically eclectic mix of sounds and tight wound angular basslines and scrappy guitars. They closely resembled early Fat White Family, particularly in the freneticism of frontmen Jas and Marko. With heads centimeters from the ceiling, the intimacy served Pigeonhole well, the music lending itself to the unpredictable atmosphere. The band opened with Hollywood LA Pt. 2 - spiralling guitar and refracting vocals with enough volume to rattle the plates in the restaurant next door. They retain a certain growl, filled with attitude and coiled grooves, resembling Birthday Party instrumentation, or brotherly sleaze-cowboys Gallon Drunk. Their tracks show a lot of promise and are primed for live performance. ‘Come on, I want to see you dancing’ professes Marko moments before crowd surfing limbs are strewn above the dedicated front row. With the 70-strong audience, the air is damp and hot, NoGlum’s launch event certainly being one of the loudest and most volatile events of the evening.
