The Nightingales

The last time I saw Graceland was at a very hot Owl Sanctuary for Outline's 15th birthday party when two of the four members were encumbered with broken limbs not to mention the fact we were all drenched with our own and other people’s sweat. Tonight they are tight and loud and serious with some mesmerising portions of full on action. Despite their playful energy, they also mean business. There’s a spark of riot grrrl in there, and a little electronic pop, but overall it’s just great indie rock. I like the part where guitarist Ellie shouts “QUEEN COMPLEX” best. Finishing with the belting, repetitive The City's Behind You, their set stops suddenly, leaving a deafening silence and much applause. The only thing that lets them down a little is the amount of time spent between songs sorting out equipment, drinking and talking. They could easily have fit in one or two more songs during those spaces. But maybe I’m just greedy.

The Nightingales have been going for years and years, and rather like The Membranes and The Fall, continue to be beautifully odd – their strength lies in their refusal to make anything other than music that they love. Fuck everyone else. Dressed in suits, they're not mucking about here.

It’s obvious that their extensive worldwide touring coupled with superb playing chops and years in the business continues to pay off. It's difficult music, challenging, lyrical and jerky and as often discordant as it is tuneful, but it’s never harsh or rough. You'd be hard pressed to sing one of their songs after seeing them live but that's the point. This ain't easy, just like life, and the best things are worth working for. I feel like it might take a lifetime to dissect all The Nightingales’ material. The songs aren't constructed in the usual way - some might even say they're sometimes a mess, but goddamit, this band’s music is full of ramshackle, extraordinary charm. The Nightingales are post punk at its best, with tinges of the krautrock of Faust, and the wonkiness of Beefheart or Zappa, especially concerning the lyrics. Rob still has something to say, and he says it so well and with such surety. This is symphonic post punk - I can almost imagine their music must be written in a score it's so changeable and complex, despite the fact it also sounds like great garage rock at times. Acrobatic bass passages combine with determined and energetic workouts from Norwich’s own Fliss Kitson on drums. She’s a wild haired machine, at one with her kit in a way you rarely see, and almost impossible to drag your eyes away from throughout. She thunders through like an approaching storm, raw and human, and her shouts and occasional singing add a much needed extra element to the sound. Frontman Rob is very confident onstage, with barely any banter or break between songs. Tonight’s one hour show is incredibly intense, serious and urgent even when there are touches of humour. Despite a few dancers in the room, as usual the Norwich crowd loved it in silence, unmoving, clapping politely, but inside, screaming "WE LOVE YOU THE NIGHTINGALES" and throwing our knickers onstage. Because we are a shy lot, so we keep it all hidden. What a show though, from a band that have been unapologetically themselves for so long that their strength is unbeatable.