Good Friday at the Green Door Store, six bands and free entry. What’s not to like?
TRAAMS I missed sadly, but heard they were a very nice surprise for those that arrived for an early pint. Lovepark up next showed the same potential they had the last time I saw them: musically consistent, catchy guitar riffs, vocally sound with interesting harmonies. I can’t say the performance was up to much, but the small and dedicated following they had didn’t seem to mind. This was nice and inoffensive Indie-Pop.
Childhood came and went in a blur of what seemed like one long song – no, I’m not being whimsical about my past. Looking around me I couldn’t interpret the audience’s reaction either. Childhood’s guitar-based Indie aspires to The War on Drugs, but relying on a too heavy dose of vocal reverb resulted in a somewhat soupy and indecipherable mix. Still, pop me in a field with friends and a pint on a sunny day with this in the background and I’d be happy enough.
Breton, the headliners, were stuck into the middle of the lineup, presumably to catch the crowd at peak numbers and it worked, the place was packed. A refreshing and talented band this lot, a unique mix of Indie and Electronica that I can’t quite compare to anyone else. A five piece musical collective with masses of equipment rammed onto a tiny GDS
stage sounded more guitar-based than electronic, and very much more alive than the compressed sound of their recorded material. Noted for their abundance of skill in music, remixing and film making, I feel we tapped only the tip of the iceberg of Breton multimedia talent. There were film projections on the back wall but space restriction meant that only a few were able to see them and this was our loss, no doubt.
Opening with Ordnance Survey you can quickly hear numerous influences from Hip Hop, to House, Indie guitar-based riffs, to something a bit tropical xylophone that wouldn’t be amiss at Notting Hill carnival. A heady and unique mix of sounds perhaps nicely summarised in the singers comment, ‘that was more of an out of body experience than a performance’ – then again maybe he was referring to the concentration needed to stay in his tiny amount of stage space. The highlights, for me, were Governing Correctly and Jostle, the latter of which was a harmonious balance of Indie and Dance that got the whole room moving in appreciation. I’d not heard of Breton before but I would definitely see them again.
Next on the bill were Cold Pumas, purveyors of head nodding, noise rock and one mightily short set. Repetitive with long, stable musical sections punctuated by variations on a theme, the occasional key change, chaotic dissonance and basic vocals for added interest. Pretty loud and hypnotic stuff for a three piece.
Last but not least, Foreign Skin, a two person geek squad. I liked their quirky, atmospheric Electronica, but two people staring at an Apple Mac didn’t make for much of a show. Then again maybe that was the point, the perfect lead into the DJ led rest of the night and the signal for my satisfied exit…
Words: Nicola Turner
Photos: Jo Rutherford
