On 11th April 2011 at 22:43 JjHhep wrote...
Find myself wanting to show people what a classic piece of work Mr Dishington's given us in his monochrome Ajanta picture.
Diego Snail
Live at The Library on Friday, 8th April 2011
Little Parades are creating a big buzz for a new band and a surprisingly large number of people have turned out to see their set tonight at the 360 Club, despite it being Easter holiday time for many and an early night after drinking all day in the sun for many more. Their brand of ambient music is difficult to play in a live setting, but they are incredibly captivating and are rapidly becoming the pride of Leeds College of Music following a support slot for Corinne Bailey-Rae and a run of successful gigs. Their set encapsulates a massive soundscape with beautifully layered, whispery vocals, sweeping guitar, electronica and crashing drums. The influence of Explosions in the Sky is obvious in their music, with their cinematic style, but their ability to create an atmosphere also owes a great deal to bands like Sigur Ros. Their set comprises just five songs, but they are not scared to experiment with sound as their songs build unpredictably, switch pace adeptly and end abruptly. Their set has a hypnotic quality which captivates almost everyone present; they are most certainly living up to their billing as one of the best new bands around. Try and catch them at Live at Leeds.
Backyards also embrace electronica, but with a more folky tinge to their performance. The five-piece have a mellow evocative sound reminiscent of The Remote Part era Idlewild, especially in the vocal styling. The bass provides the drive behind the songs, nicely contrasting to the more toned down melodic drum and shoe-gazey guitar parts. Occasionally the set seems to suffer from the band's apparent lack of confidence and they struggle to maintain momentum to the same degree as Little Parades. However, their sound is diverse and the violin parts are great (and thankfully loud enough in the mix to really be appreciated) as their melodious music provides a lovely soundtrack for a spring evening like tonight.
Having previously missed out on reviewing Ajanta I was excited to get my opportunity tonight and they did not disappoint. Powerful riffs combine with stunning melodies to create something multifaceted and intriguing as they switch easily between eastern psychedelia and chunky post-rock. The set encapsulates a lot, but it never seems overwhelmed or conflicted, and it is very apparent that they have been experimenting with sound and playing together for a long time now. Check out 'Haunt Me' for a perfect example of their ability to be catchy, technical and spacey all within the space of three minutes. Ajanta are a wonderfully experimental and self-assured band who never fail to impress in live setting.
Diego Snail top off the show with their take on experimental Pink Floyd influenced prog. They play around with different sounds and tonight they are drastically improved. They still work their signature loud/soft dynamic, but it is much sharper, maintaining impetus; the soft parts seem as vital as the loud parts and the whole set is just a little less decadent and a little more compelling. They are, as their website proclaims, 'deliciously different', the viola and keyboard give them a different angle to the majority of experimental/fusion/progressive bands on the local circuit and if they keep on improving at this rate they could be something pretty unique.
Backyards
"Everything is incorporated into Backyards' sound; much more than the simple Indie dynamics of guitar, bass and drums. Keyboards make an appearance, string sections...and music that is atmospheric; contrasting between dark and light, upbeat and melancholic." - AltSounds.Com
