GIG REVIEW: SBTRKT @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London, feat. Kwes & Oneman - 5/10/12

I had a brief preview of SBTRKT's live act at Bestival 2012, and I have to say my enthusiasm for this later London show subsequently began to waver. SBTRKT's live drumming and Sampha-vocal-heavy set seemed to overshadow a quiet and strangely unimpactful mix. But a 9pm festival slot is different from a London venue headline slot, so I turned up as if this was my first SBTRKT- Live experience.

Shepherds Bush Empire looks like it should have a better sound than it does, and if you are anywhere apart from the centre of the dancefloor, the speakers can sound oddly muted. Warm-up DJ Oneman plays some great tunes as the venue slowly fills, but even as the night advances past 8.30, his sets beg to be turned up. Otherwise why put him on the line-up at all?

Although sad at missing a support slot from Disclosure the night before, I was still interested to see the main support act Kwes, a producer and singer/songwriter whose latest EP Meantime was a cute little oddity, a messy yet engaging mix of Frank Ocean-esque R&B and fuzzy electronica not a million miles from the likes of Flying Lotus. Performing with a drummer and keyboardist, Kwes himself plays the heavily distorted bass that is his latest EP's calling card. Yet live, Kwes' act was less engaging, and more messy, much too messy in fact, the overly stripped down arrangements sounding unrehearsed and muddy. It could've been down to neglectful sound engineers or a stingy soundcheck, but nevertheless, the magic-on-record of numbers such as "Honey" and "Igoyh" did not translate tonight. Yet the band themselves chat lazily and casually with the crowd, and with each other, and don't seem to notice.

Luckily Oneman has some big bassy tunes up his sleeve that keep an impatient crowd dancing as the stage is prepared for SBTRKT. Although running about 15 minutes late, a curtain with the unmistakable SBTRKT owl hat finally drops in front of the stage, and SBTRKT, with Sampha and, surprisingly, a mask-donning string quartet make a magnificent entrance as light illuminates them through the curtain. "Never Never" is almost completely performed live, the strings giving the track a warm tapestry for SBTRKT's own live drumming to paint over. Sampha sounds great too, and luckily, the bad sound that plagued Kwes has alleviated. Funny that.

"SBTRKT - Live" as it's donned by the man himself is indeed a very different concept to the quirky, dark productions of SBTRKT on record. There are a lot of idea flying around, most of them great. The somewhat limiting sound of the live drumming I witnessed at Bestival is non-existent here, the drums provided just as much power and impact as the drum machines. "Heatwave" comes next and SBTRKT and Sampha's love of crazy sounds becomes apparent as said track is an onslaught of tribal drumming and flittering synths and vocal samples. The gig quickly escalates into something approaching a celebratory carnival, limbs flailing everywhere.

At times however, the gig seems a little too eager to try everything. Whilst "Hold On" and "Something Goes Right" are crowd pleasing singalongs, some instrumental numbers seem indulgent and overlong in comparison, despite all the creative flairs. SBTRKT - Live isn't sure whether it's a pop concert or a rave, and whilst the two can be easily combined, the duo haven't quite nailed down the perfect formula yet. The mix of live performance and recorded sound is a double edged sword; whilst live drumming stunts a disappointing "Pharoahs", the majestic "Go Bang" is enhanced by the warmth of the string quartet, one of the best instrumental numbers of the night.

On the whole however, when a high is reached, it hits it out of the ballpark. Closer "Wildfire" is simply exquisite, and its bass-heavy breakdowns and vocal mash-ups simply set the dancefloor alight. It is followed by a rave-heavy encore, ending with the pulsating 2 step of "Right Thing To Do", which despite no appearance from Jessie Ware, ends the gig on a high, almost half an hour after the stated finishing time, 2 minutes shy of the venue's curfew.

Credit must be given to SBTRKT, for turning one 40 minute album and a handful of EPs ("Living Like I Do" makes a welcome appearance, although "Nervous" would've been more welcome) into an 90 minute set. Another album down the line, there is no doubt that SBTRKT will be able to fill 90 minutes with ease and with no, absolutely no down time.

- Joe Copplestone, 06/10/12

Roses Gabor - Stars

After her sleek guest spot on SBTRKT's album highlight "Pharoahs", Roses Gabor's latest single, produced by UK dance producer Redlight is much darker, and she takes centre stage despite the punishing, gritty production. Redlight cuts and pastes her voice over a gravelly bass synth and industrial sized beat, but Roses has no problem commanding the track when she steps forward.

FOR FANS OF: Jessie Ware, SBTRKT, Delilah

Destiny's Child - Say My Name (Cyril Hahn Remix)

A novelty, but a gorgeous one. Up and coming producer Cyril Hahn mutates the Destiny's Child's voices into mournful, androgynous croons over a dark, minimal house beat. Cyril Hahn's material consists of all remixes at the time of posting, but they are all worth listening to, check out his tumblr, and especially his remix of Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" as well. They aren't so much remixes as reinterpretations, sucking the swag and attitude out of hip hop and R&B hits, and replacing it with an eerieness, sparseness and sense of melancholy.

FOR FANS OF: Disclosure, The Weeknd, SBTRKT

Jessie Ware - What You Won't Do For Love (FREE download)

It's official. Jessie Ware is the new Sade. Such is the feather-light tone to her voice, the way it cracks on the way down from a challenging note, and SBTRKT collaborator Sampha totally gets this... just listen to the soulful, bubbling synth arpeggios of this cover of Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do For Love". Jessie brings 80s soul to the UK bass generation, and there's no one doing it quite like her at the moment.

"Jessie got a thing for you and I can't let go..." The feeling's mutual my dear.

DOWNLOAD "WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE" FREE FROM JESSIE WARE'S FACEBOOK PAGE.

Jessie Ware's debut album "Devotion" is released on the 20th August.

TOP 50 OF 2011: #40 - #31

Hello again! More amazing taste.


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#40
"Norgaard"
The Vaccines


The Vaccines' record was by far the simplest, most straight up indie  rock record of the year, and backed by the carefree, catchy teen-angst of the song writing, there was even something of the punk about it. Clocking in at a mere 1 minute 38 seconds, "Norgaard" sums up everything the band are about. It's short, it's sweet, its energy is mind-numbingly infectious and it's a crowd pleaser. Such is the onslaught of teenage hormones in this track that a second longer and the track would not be. Luckily, the Vaccines know what they're doing. And what they're doing is not much; they know they don't need to.



#39
"Reunion"
M83

M83's "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" was a whole new kind of 80s collosus, a record that wasn't afraid to be epic, it was afraid not to be, and this track (much like all the others to be frank) holds a strong argument for the most dramatic thing on here. On the life-affirmingly bright "Reunion", guitars clang and echo like U2 and the melody hits the Chesney Hawkes rock anthem nerve like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. Sound awful? Maybe it is, but by god I love it.

 M-83 Reunion by ProjectX1 

#38
"The Greatest Light is The Greatest Shade"
The Joy Formidable

TJF's debut, "The Big Roar" lived deliciously up to its grand title, rocking mid-tempo like it was the 90s, but the real treat lies at the end of the record with "The Greatest Light...". Battering ram guitars and a hypnotic hook give this track a truly euphoric stomp that is the perfect way to round off such a satisfying record.



#37
"Stay Away"
Charli XCX

Somewhat out of the blue, like a female Hurts, Charli XCX quietly flew the flag for romantic goth-pop in 2011, almost single handedly with this haunting track. Industrial beats and emotionally wrought vocals recall The Cure, and an eerie melody that nods towards Kate Bush, this girl has a lot to live up to after this debut single.



#36
"Que Que" (feat. Maluca & Diplo)Dillon Francis

One of the most enjoyable dance music EPs of the year, Dillon Francis' Moombahton EP "Westside" was fresh sounding and irresistible, honing down everything addictive about the genre. Female latin rapper Maluca lays down some sharp verses, and Diplo's presence is heard in the piercing synth sirens that ride a bass-heavy Reggaeton beat. Too quirky to make it mainstream, but this is a crying shame, as it's one of the best dance tracks of the year.

Don't do hallucinogens before watching the video by the way.



#35
"Wildfire" (feat. Yukimi Nagano)
SBTRKT

Unusual and understated, "Wildfire" is the classiest dubstep track of the year, in no small favour to Little Dragon singer Yukimi Nagano, who's shimmering, eerie tones provide this track with it's magic. Though this is not to discredit SBTRKT however, for the simple groove and niggling bass line prove to be slyly addictive.



#34
"Last Friday Night"
Katy Perry

Yes, it was released last year on "Teenage Dream" the album, but Last Friday Night really came into its own when it was released as a single, as it was always meant to be. Leaving it as a secret weapon for 2011 turned out to be a great idea, a moderately entertaining extended video only aiding its success, and reminding us why we loved Katy Perry's music in the first place. It's irresponsible-message pop, but Katy Perry's big doe eyes and sugary country-tinged belt make it all seem like good fun. Even when she vomits in a shoe in the video. But "such an epic fail" - still cringey.



#33
"Heaven"
Emeli Sande

Although it's string-laden drama-hop strongly recalls Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy", Emeli Sande's "Heaven" has an emotional urgency rather than a melancholy, in no small part down to Emeli's aching vocal. Emeli is only 24, but she sounds like a woman in conflict with herself, and she feels every word of phrases such as "Will you recognise me? When I'm lying on my back, something's gone inside me, and I can't get it back", and especially as she yelps "then I'm gone" repeatedly at the close of the song. As a singer, Sande has a maturity beyond her years, and especially beyond the expected abilities of a new talent. The melody is pretty beautiful too, which helps.



#32
"Lion's Share"
Wild Beasts

As opener's go, "Lion's Share" is hardly an attention grabber. But then again, none of "Smother" is. That's the beauty of it. Calming down slightly with every record since their debut, their third record opens with their most haunting song to date. It's dark and seductive as ever, a pulsing synth and romantic piano being the only needed backing for Hayden Thorpe's cabaret croon. His voice is delightfully toned down (comparatively), and the sheer beauty of the spiralling melody for "Boy, what you running from?" is all the more for it.



#31
"Call It What You Want"
Foster the People

Foster the People understood the need for party music in 2011, and although "Pumped Up Kicks" is the perfect teen anthem, there's something even more rebellious about "Call It What You Want". "What's your style and who do you listen to? WHO CARES." goes one lyric, quite possibly one of my favourite of the year. Piano led, funky and thoroughly catchy as always, Foster the People aren't 'cool' in the traditional sense (like floppy haired indie boys making dance music are ever cool, Friendly Fires being the exception) but on "CIWYW" they are telling you, very fleetingly mind, that they don't give a fuck, and they just want to dance. And when they make tracks like this, who can blame them?




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TOMORROW, #30-#21, Arrivederci!