Novella

Venue:

Gullivers, Manchester

Date: 02/03/2017

Support comes from Manchester based The Bleachés (pronounced Bleeshays…obvs) -who look barely old enough to be in the venue. They’re clearly in thrall to the Brian Jonestown Massacre, they’re a bit ramshackle but in a good way….they get a proper psychedelic, garagey racket going and they whip up some nice choppy guitar riffs that should stand them in good stead. I like them and they look cool.

I last saw Novella in a support slot and they really grabbed me, so I’m pleased to see them headlining in their own right in support of their new LP ‘Change of State’. The new LP makes up the majority of the set and while I really enjoyed their debut, which has a more shoegazey/Lush feel to it, the new one really hits home and is highly recommended.
I guess the most obvious reference points are Broadcast and Stereolab in terms of the mixture of Neu/Can style rhythms and analog electronics combined with choppy guitars and political lyrics (the new LP is a response to Br**it and Tr**p – sample lyric “Tunnel through the borders…Tunnel through the borders” – Yeah!).

What strikes me is how much tougher the band are since I last saw them, and they have a really strong rhythmic drive which propels them along -I can’t help but lock into the sinewy basslines from the great Suki Sou and the great guitar interplay between Sophy and Holly. Great sound, great message for our lousy time. A Seriously good band and they’ve got a reet good groove going.

They maybe coming to your town. Go and see them.

The audience:

Good turnout, and yep…Fat Alex is in the house.
Appropos of nothing a woman in the audience gets up and festoons the stage with rubber ducks and keeps making a duck noise (I kid you not) in between songs. The band, to their eternal credit, do not acknowledge the ducks nor engage with the quacker. No idea what that was about.

It made me think..

Always check out the support band, and get to smaller gigs by newish bands which I didn’t do enough of last year

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