SPANISH LOVE SONGS, HEART ATTACK MAN & SUDS
Is it too early to declare set of the year. Yeah, Spanish Love Songs were that good!
Not saying that I have been counting the days but it has been exactly five years, one month and four days since I saw Spanish Love Songs in this very venue. That night, SLS blew me away and, much as I loved that night’s co-headliners, the much-missed Ducking Punches, arguably SLS blew them off-stage too. Since then, I have been singing the praises of SLS but no one else seemed to have heard of them so it is a pleasant surprise that tonight’s show sold out pretty damned quickly. But more of SLS later…
First up, local four-piece SUDS take to the stage to the strains of The Chain. This was a strangely – or maybe deliberately - prescient taste of their indie-pop-rock take on Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac. Having seen and enjoyed SUDS a few times, this was the most confident, powerful and polished (in a good way) set that I have seen from them and a fair few in the audience greet them like homecoming heroes.
I was expecting good things of HEART ATTACK MAN. What I have heard of their heavy pop-punk, I have thoroughly enjoyed. The live show, however, disappointed. Yeah, there was some good old-fashioned tremolo abuse and no one can fault the band’s commitment. The energy levels were next level and the bouncing is non-stop. It was all good fun but nothing I haven’t heard dozens of times before any nuance, subtlety or variety was bulldozed into submission. Still, not for the first time, I suspect I am in the minority as HAM get a singalong or three and the merch desk does decent business despite the, ahem, ambitious pricing.
Ambitious pricing is a criticism that can be levelled at SPANISH LOVE SONGS too. Look, I know that bands have to make a living and touring costs money – a LOT of money – but £35 for a tee? Ah well, it wasn’t Gojira levels of expense and it is absolutely the only criticism that I can level at SLS because their set was PHENOMENAL. The energy levels never dropped in the seventeen songs played tonight. From opener Lifers to closer Brave Faces, Everyone, this band meant business.
Dylan Slocum – a cross between the Brandon Flowers it is ok to like and the alt.rock Springsteen – is an entertaining frontman that keeps the crowd engaged throughout. Drummer Ruben Duarte plays with metronomic precision but with flare, even adding blastbeats to Marvel. Guitarist Kyle McAulay is having a ball stage right. Meredith Van Woert, who was missing last time I saw ’em, adds colour with her keys and acoustic guitar. It’s a shame that bass player Trevor Dietrich’s place is taken by a backing track but that gives Slocum and McAulay more room to thrash around.
If there was any justice, Spanish Love Songs would be selling out Carrow Road, rather than the Waterfront Studio. The songs and performance are that strong. As it is, even though it is only January, I think I have already seen one of the best sets I will see this year.
