Swim Deep Live Review

Tonight Birmingham’s young and eccentric crowd gather at The Institute to welcome back hometown heartthrobs Swim Deep to their biggest headlining Birmingham show yet. With a highly anticipated album set to release in May and hot new single The Sea under their belt, the sold out show tonight screams potential as the essence of success seems more possible than ever before.

The cheerful and carefree quartet take the stage- Austin appears with a bouquet of flowers that he throws to his beloved B-town bunch. The blend of hazy 90s-pop begins and drowns the venue in a watery sonic, transporting the whole room to that hot California beach they are so particularly fond of, making it truly difficult to believe that the bummed-out seaside lovers are from the cold and damp suburbs of Birmingham.

The combination of shaggy, dreamy vocals mixed with lazy, grunge guitar loops set the gig in a consistently impressive motion as the four friends please their fans with feel-good favourites Honey, Beach Justice and Orange County. A shirtless Zachary treats the audience further with a striking drum solo before an out-of-breath Austin adoringly exclaims: “You mean a lot to me. You mean a lot to us guys.” The night ends with breakthrough track King City, grinning fans and a glistening sense of excitement lingering in the air, intended for the blossoming year this band have ahead of them.

http://www.brumnotes.com/review-swim-deep-the-institute-birmingham-150213/

Crystal Castles Live Review

Crystal Castles at the HMV Institute, Birmingham

Group vocals, souring choruses and head banging guitar solos can all be expected from talented London trio Luls. Favorable singles ‘Young’ and ‘Swing Low’ prove to be hits amongst the approving crowd at the HMV tonight, showing off the bands potential and already existing success.

The audience tonight displays an overwhelming (and slightly manic) excitement towards the Toronto twosome on tour with new album (|||). Demonstrating their admiration with restless chants and giant grins; by the end of the night, it isn’t hard to see why.

Setlist opener ‘Plague’ spells the room with a demonic air as the menacing thumps and shrieking- high vocals cut through the venue by lively front woman Alice Glass. Crawling on all fours cloaked in black, Glass resembles that of an exorcist- yet fans approvingly pump their fists, fixating their glance onto the petite silhouette camouflaged by smoky red flashlights. The effect is utterly thrilling.

The energy remains perfectly unrigged throughout the performance and radiated with higher intensity by band partner Ethan Kath; who coolly plays his keyboard, barely lifting his head to acknowledge the chaotic surrounding. Glass endlessly dives into a sea of arms, drinks and smokes freely onstage clearly stating she enjoys doing exactly as she pleases.

Crystal Castles eminent mixture of goth-dance and spacey electric, lo-fi triggers emotional boundaries that dance music has failed to accomplish in the past. Although the live shows aren’t for everyone, they are undoubtedly hard to forget.