Jezabels EP launch with SONGS @ the Clubhouse
Saturday November 28 2009
Words and pictures: Kate Scantleton
I am a very picky gig-goer when it comes to venue. Normally, I steer well-clear of any place that will be full of rude, selfish and uncaring-when-it-comes-to-music members of the general public. Walking into the Clubhouse, this is EXACTLY what I was expecting, being a small portion of the Family/Empire franchise and my previously bad experiences with such places. Much to my surprise, it was the opposite. Nice people, nice venue, nice gig all round.
Having never seen the Jezabels before, I can tell you now they are either a band that you will love to death or not appreciate at all. They have a very specific, artistic style of music – the kind of you can hear playing whilst looking out the window of a speeding train disappearing into the country-side at dusk on a sunny day. It certainly has a magic about it, and the mixture of beautiful, feminine vocal melodies, clean and delightful piano backing and fast-paced drumming creates a perfect melding of rock, pop and musical genius.
Touring off the back of their latest EP release, She’s So Hard, it is apparent that the Jezabels are a very hard-working, The set was beautiful, delicate, interesting and dramatic, the highlights being Disco Bisuit Love, Be A Star, and Unmarked Helicopters. It was easy to see that the crowd was awe-struck after the set finished, with people still milling around, waiting for more.
Next up was SONGS, whose mix of old-school pop and rock had the entire crowd entranced throughout the set… once the sound guy got things sorted. Having just released a new album, they had the repertoire to show their abilities as a serious pop/rock group, which they did with ease.
The night was one filled with the basic, no-frills pop/rock tunes that we seem to lose track of nowadays. Without bothering to embellish music with the synthetic sounds that we all find too common in this day and age, these two acts have managed to create their sound with the simplicities, and not compromise integrity whilst doing it in style. Nice people, nice venue, nice gig all round.