poppedmusic

TOY

The Magnet, November 24th 2016

Words: Gary Lambert

Photos: Gaz Jones

Let me give you an insight into the world of music reviewing for blogs. After a hard day at work, you have a comfy night lined up where you put on a chilled out playlist, take off your trousers and tie and then pick up your phone to read a text message that says “you’re on the list, you know mate”. All of a sudden, plans get kicked to the kerb, you’re dressed quicker than the McAllister family when they’re forgetting how many kids they have, and then you are heading to The Magnet faster than a speeding photographer.

That’s how it goes sometimes. And even if you don’t want to go to a gig, you don’t want to let anybody down. And when you get to watch some of the finest bands in the UK on a minimum of a bi-weekly basis, it is so exciting. You dash in pleading to the musical fates that you’re going to see at least one good band, but you will settle for two great songs.  “Make me not regret leaving my comfy chair”.

As I walked downstairs in The Magnet, this was exactly how my mind was working. Indigo Moon, were in the last third of their set and sounding damn good. In fact, they sound so good I am looking forward tremendously to listening to the EP they gave out for free as they wandered around the venue later.

The first band I saw fully was tour support, Prince Vaseline.  For a two piece band that consisted of one member on keyboards and the other on guitar, I was not expecting them to open with a song that made me imagine Ian Curtis fronting The Bad Seeds playing drone. That got a big thumbs up from me. Then they offered an insight into the other side of their musical spectrum with a track that could easily have slipped into any Super Furry Animals release prior to the Millenium Dome opening.

Prince Vaseline was the perfect way to prepare us all for TOY.  Whilst obviously being a band that you would pigeonhole as psych, their songs allowed for more than just studious examination of the music. TOY took that to another level by making you want to dance as well as nod your head. The history of the band members playing in different outfits through the years gives them a natural feel for a tune, and as I wandered through the venue checking the sound from different spots, I noticed the audience were getting closer and closer to the stage, gravitating to TOY. This was a powerful performance too with all four standing up band members playing right along the front of the stage. In fact that gave them not a look of aggression, but a look of demanding. The crowd was putty in their hands.

This was a great night of music, well worth leaving my Ikea chair for the night. In fact, if I had known it was going to be that good, I would have got out of bed for it if necessary.