Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog
All photos and more in high resolution here.
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| Fish live at The Old Blue Last |
Kicking
off the show was London’s own teen grungers Fish, whose twinkly garage-rock tunes seeped out into the rapidly
filling room like smoke. Frontwoman Asha’s vocals were sinister but mesmerising,
a siren call dancing over a chunky bassline, not hugely different from the
likes of Bully or a juvenile Wolf Alice. Brattish smirks and the odd tongue
poke flaunted the four-piece’s infectious charisma, and ending the set with screams
of joy and Strokesy guitar riffs, it was all smiles from the get-go both
onstage and off.
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| Girli live at The Old Blue Last |
Irrefutably
the highlight of the show, Girli came
next on the bill. Her iconic pink dress code and unapologetically pure pop
songs have been splashed across ones-to-watch lists since the end of last year,
and anticipation in the Old Blue Last was pushed to breaking point when she
finally swaggered up to the mic. From the first note of the 8-bit symphony ‘Girls
Get Angry Too’, the room was a riot, snarky quips about feminism and teen sexuality
spewing out forcefully over a pounding hip-hop beat. ‘ASBOys’ played out like a
call to arms for the wasted youth of London with its siren-laden verses, and new
material like ‘Girl I Met On the Internet’, an ode to the plastic princess of
Instagram, mixed laugh-out-loud lyrics with video game sound effects to create what
could easily become the most unlikely indie anthem of the year. ‘Fuck Right
Back Off to L.A.’ (from the ‘Girli FM’ mixtape) also got a play, a true site to
behold, as Girli and her partner in rhyme DJ Kitty flipped the bird in
synchronised choreography over the infectious “fuck you”-s of the chorus. Closing
on ‘So You Think You Can Fuck With Me Do Ya’ with a stage invasion in full
swing, the most energetic and utterly batshit set of the night concluded in a hurricane
of tampons, condoms and Hello Kitty chocolates being spewed into the crowd as
the storm of pink fury ended no less suddenly than it had begun.
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| Yonaka live at The Old Blue Last |
Assuming
the night had peaked there, I headed outside, a decision I immediately
regretted when the thunderous sound of Yonaka
punched through the walls of the Old Blue Last, grabbing me by the scruff of
the neck and dragging me back inside. There I saw frontwoman Theresa Jarvis
half rapping, half howling to ‘Run’, the band’s phenomenal lead single, striking
a huge bass drum at the same time, and looking like a total fucking bad-ass too.
The few songs I managed to catch were infectious and primal, mixing elements of
Florence and the Machine’s ethereal ambience, Savages’ aggressive no-nonsense lyrics
and Haim’s trademark Cali-cool stage presence. Simply put, Yonaka are one of
the best new acts I’ve seen in a long time and you’d be a fool not to check
them out on their upcoming headline tour in March.
It
was at this point that the train home beckoned its cruel finger, so I didn’t
get to see Beach Baby rock the stage at the old bluey. Sad face. Nonetheless,
their latest single ‘Sleeperhead’ is an instant earworm and having seen them at
Norwich’s Sound & Vision festival last autumn, I can confirm that their live
show is just as rampantly fruity as their studio releases. They head out on an
extensive UK tour with Sundara Karma next month, a show well worth heading down
to if you can.
DIY,
it has to be said that you sure know your talent. Ta for a fantastic night of
free music and kicking off 2016 with a bang.
DIY’s
‘Hello 2016’ series concludes this Tuesday January 26th at London’s
Old Blue Last, with free performances from Pumarosa, Cloud Castle Lake,
Babeheaven and Sälen.
Facebook: Fish / Girli / Yonaka / Beach Baby / DIY
Twitter: Fish / Girli / Yonaka / Beach Baby / DIY
Soundcloud: Fish / Girli / Yonaka / Beach Baby
DIY Official Website
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