Del Toro, Hazards of SwimmingNaked, Aheadphonehome @ TheTroubadour (11/03/09)

Wed 25th Mar, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Entering the Troubadour, it quickly became evident that this wasn’t going to be your average Wednesday night. Spread across a small stage was a five piece made up mostly young balding men, creating an experimental tune that in a nutshell sounded like Tame Impala met U2 and battled 007 on a Nintendo 64. Nonetheless, Aheadphonehome is an epic band, creating music that was refreshingly unique.

The majority of the crowd seated on the ground meant that although we weren’t – œrocking out’ to the music, it was obvious we were all appreciating it in our own little world. Intense lyricism seemed trivial to the band, as it appeared vocals were only used when appropriate. Self described as “a beautiful mess,” Aheadphonehome’s live music delivered a concoction a raw energy, sweet instrumentals and presented a great way to relax and get lost inside your own head.

Next up were Hazards of Swimming Naked, and judging by the name I assumed this would be another interesting set! Taking up the whole stage included three guitarists, a bass player, one on drums, and a xylophonist, but this time no microphone in sight. These guys claim their music sounds like four seasons in one day mixed with bad acid and sleep deprivation! What an interesting combination.

At first the set sounded like a massive epic jam session, which eventually moulded itself into a wistful flow of impenetrable and obscure sounds. At times, Hazards’ sounded unpolished (we noticed a few sour faces on band members after a couple of noticeable stuff-ups) but ultimately this rubbed off in a good way. Nonetheless, it was extremely refreshing to sit back and zone out to the beautiful blasting instrumentals. After they’d finished, the music had planted a seed of marvelled fascination in my mind.

By the time the last band for the evening emerged, the dwindling crowd indicated most people didn’t it was worth sticking around (at 11.30pm on a Wednesday night mind you) for a taste of Del Toro. Another purely instrumental set – this time the music detached me from my immediate environment, I was well and truly lost in the music. The female drummer was epic, as were the intricate guitar riffs and beguiling bass lines. Del Toro were a great closer for the night, just a shame most patrons missed out on their magic!