Live Reviews

Princess Chelsea / Tidal Wars / Hollow Bear @ Start The Bus, Bristol 16.05.12
Speaker-blowing heavy indie-rock from Tidal Wars, a young three piece from Weston-Super-Mare, kicks off tonight's proceedings. The music is fuzzy and scuzzy, but with the pop sensibilities of white noise merchants, Yuck, providing hooks galore. The droning feedback loops mask the scuffed-around-the-edges vocals but the standout factor comes in the form of pulverising drums, which shine through a murky swamp of guitars. A shoegaze twang hints at contemporaries Surfer Blood, a comparison I’m sure the trio are familiar with and not in the slightest bothered by. Throttling top buttons and a fashionable apathy loom on the surface of Tidal Wars, but with riotous rock gems coated in a layer of shoegazing FX, who cares?
Posted on May 21st, 2012
FatCat Records Transcendentalists @ The Barbican, London 18.05.12
This swanky showcase is about as far from a sticky-carpeted pub gig as possible. A sold-out crowd sits expectantly in comfy seats, expensive drinks in hand, "shoosh"ing anyone who breathes. They are here to check out three artists who, it is claimed, explore "the new musical zone where post-classical, electronica, ambient and song meet".
Posted on May 20th, 2012
Perfume Genius @ St Pancras Old Church, London 14.05.12
"Maybe we should start this one again, it's short enough and it's just these three chords like all the other songs", Perfume Genius' Mike Hadreas jokes at a midset stumble on a rendition of 'Perry'. It speaks volumes about the 30-year-old Seattle based artist before us. These are, for the most part, simplistically arranged and feather light compositions, expounding the kind of on-the-edge-of-your-seat personal outpourings through a quiet falsetto, faltering with a sincerity of emotion at each utterance, that they are near impossible not to be moved by. As for the setting of St Pancras Old Church, it adheres perfectly to the stifled traumas of Hadreas' past. There is an air of confessional in these details; at moments hushed and quavering, while at others, in contrast to the pianist's spoken word, almost assured.
Posted on May 20th, 2012
Friends / AlunaGeorge @ The Thekla, Bristol 14.05.12
AlunaGeorge greet the rain-soaked few that have arrived early enough to see them open the show. Seedy keys from George Reid rip apart the silence inside the desolate Thekla, and as the bass-driven synthpop starts, the crowd soon emerges from every nook and cranny. They play glamorous electro R&B, with smooth-as-silk vocals from snake-hipped singer, Aluna Francis. Unabashedly hip, the duo (backed by tour musicians) lift elements from every corner of the Zeitgeist. Meshing electronica-infused samples, funk basslines and drum 'n' bass percussion, they create an electric buzz onstage. Cat calls and wolf whistles emanate from the crowd as Aluna strips down to entirely inappropriate attire for the hurricane raging in Bristol - hotpants and an exposed midriff. The throbbing 'You Know You Like It' from their upcoming EP brings out the confidence within the pair - they know they're good - and the calm smirks prove it. For an opening act, they own the room oozing pure charm, passion and banging out solid tunes. The unflappable voice of Aluna backed by the choppy, raucous synths from George back up the cocksure pair, whose fledgling (and well-deserved) ego will do them well in this cutthroat industry.
Posted on May 20th, 2012
Esmerine / Eric Chenaux / Olan Mill @ The Cube, Bristol 13.05.12
Long may the relationship between Constellation Records and The Cube continue; last year they lent us Siskiyou for a night, now they’ve only gone and flown us over Esmerine (part Godspeed You! Black Emperor, part Thee Silver Mt. Zion, part earthly paradise) AND Eric Chenaux – who is the best kind of surprise one could hope for – in the role of supporting artist. Canada has long been one of the world’s musical superpowers; that such diverse talent as this resides on the same label is testament to Constellation’s love for music. That we get to see such talent time and again in a small independent cinema in the west country is part of the distinct upside to globalisation, and too, a fruit that never sours.
Posted on May 15th, 2012
The Barr Brothers @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London 02.05.12
The Barr Brothers are one of those sickeningly talented bands who can coax beautiful sounds out of anything you thrust into their hands. Depending on the song, guitars (electric and acoustic), vocals, drums, harmonica and keys are joined by one-off improvised stringed instruments, miked up bicycle wheels, Malian percussion instruments… Bearded are sure this bunch could create a symphony on biscuit barrels if you ask them nicely.
Posted on May 9th, 2012
Arbouretum @ Latest Music Bar, Brighton 01.05.12
What better band for Bearded than a band whose beards can't be bettered? (even if ZZ Top are rumoured to be making a new album...). But though they look like tough mountain men who stumbled from Deep South woods, Arbouretum's songs are lengthy essays in stoner sophistication, infused with psych and folk. Think Wooden Shjips jamming with Neil Young over a bottle of fine sippin' whiskey.
Posted on May 6th, 2012
Simone Felice @ Bush Hall, London 27.04.12
Simone Felice visits London
Posted on May 1st, 2012
The Black Twig Pickers @ Cafe Kino, Bristol 26.04.12
Sadly, too few are present to witness tonight’s trio of talent from Virginia, and Bearded only hope there are enough to help the awesome Kino crew break even. Damp weather plays havoc with ticket sales, and with string tension, but rarely with the morale of those that do turn up, and credit is due to musicians and attendees alike for making this event a success.
Posted on Apr 30th, 2012
Tribes / Sharks / The Brute Chorus @ The Thekla, Bristol 25.04.12
An early start for Thekla tonight, as The Brute Chorus roll up and kick off just after 7.15pm. The bearded Whitechapel chaps whirl through a concise half-hour set, blending bluesy licks with howling, shuddering vocals from singer James Steel into a genre they affectionately term 'Fuck Blues'. Hints of blues-rock contemporaries, The Black Keys, shine through - though the swaggering Londoners seem much more grounded, with songs determined to make you wiggle. There is already a sizeable crowd for the opening act, and the band have no trouble whipping Bristol into a frenzy. From Steel's enigmatic gyrations to the strutting confidence of the band, it's plain to see that The Brute Chorus are grooming themselves for bigger and bolder things. These are ones to watch.
Posted on Apr 28th, 2012
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