Live Review: Jagwar Ma @ Rescue Rooms [20/10/13]

Noel Gallagher, revered by hordes almost as a Godlike figure, recently described Jagwar Ma as the ‘future’. No pressure, chaps. Playing on Sunday night to a sold out Rescue Rooms, the Australian band had a heap of expectation to live up to. 

The trio – touring their debut album Howlin – open with the reverb-drenched, What Love. Frontman Gabriel Winterfield coos hypnotically throughout the repetitive, yet insanely catchy, track.

Come Save Me tells the familiar tale of an unrequited love, carried perfectly by a 60s pop backing track. Here, the multi-instrumentalist trio have a Beach Boys guise on – delivering sweet, sun-tinged harmonies.

Although attracting an eclectic audience with their genre-encompassing style, a baggy, Madchester vibe is prominent in most of the group’s work. The psychedelic The Throw could easily have featured on Screamadelica and latest single Man I Need transforms the venue into a scene from the legendary Haçienda– complete with its share of suspect haircuts.

Rarely interacting with the bustling audience, there is a nonchalant air about the band. This can be a peril, especially when prolonged jams at the tail end of certain tracks come across as distant and self-indulgent. However, when songs like Four hit their peak, the room explodes in a frenzy of fidgety synth. Punchy set-closer, That Loneliness, also typifies this – gloriously bursting into life at its climax and pushing the sound system’s bass remit to the limit.

Jagwar Ma certainly need a good polish at the edges, but Noel may just be onto something.


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Live Review: Miles Kane @ Rock City [03/10/13]

“Every time I come here you blow my mind,” declares a riled up Miles Kane moments before delivering a triumphant encore. In the filled-to-capacity Rock City, the feeling is most definitely returned.

Following welcoming chants of “MILES, MILES,” the dapper rocker opens his set with a no-nonsense approach, matching the raucous crowd’s energy blow for blow. Avoiding any small talk, Kane offers a blend of tracks both old and new. The delightful Rearrange, from his debut album, is a pop gem with a swirling sixties vibe.

It’s clear to see from where the Liverpudlian draws his influences from, channelling a young Paul Weller both in style and sound. This rings true particularly with Better Than That – a buoyant feel-good song that nods at a bygone era. The track also best employs his band, with backing vocals adding to the nostalgic effect.

The show’s frantic pace is only halted a few times – allowing Kane to showcase a mellower, more thoughtful side to his artistry. Love songs like Take the Night from Me and My Fantasy are introduced as though he were a proud father.

The night’s highlight comes in the form of Give Up, which brilliantly features an excerpt of Sympathy for the Devil. The venue’s hazy atmosphere fittingly accompanies the legendary track’s burning crescendo. Many would consider a Stones cover a ballsy move, but Kane takes it in his stride, perfectly melding it into his setlist.

Possibly the most impressive part of Kane’s performance is his guitar playing. The sharply dressed 27-year-old swaggers across the stage caressing the instrument as though it was an attachment of his body. Hits at the tail end of the gig, Don’t Forget Who You Are, and electric set-closer, Come Closer, exemplify this talent.

A busy touring schedule and a devoted fan base means Miles Kane is fast cementing his status as an indie icon. And with a performance as tailored as one of his designer shirts, Kane can only be making more of a case for himself.

Live Review: Mac Miller @ Rock City [29/09/13]

At only 21, rapper Mac Miller has had a meteoric rise to success from unsigned freestyler to international superstar, and on Sunday night he brought his unmistakable hip-hop stylings to Rock City.

The bashful Pittsburgh lyricist, promoting his sophomore studio album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, opens the show with a newly acquired intense, aggressive sound.

                                                                                                                                 

Mac constantly gees the predominantly teenage crowd during tracks like latest single, Goosebumpz, which showcases both his trademark flow and progression as an artist.

However, it’s not until around the halfway point when the fun really starts as the rapper treats the adoring audience to a flurry of early fan-favourites. Accompanied by his DJ, Mac Miller has the crowd under his charming, juvenile spell with triumphant renditions of frat party anthem Knock Knock and infectious smash hit, Donald Trump.

There are inevitable lulls when some weaker cuts see light of day, but Mac ensures the track-heavy set ends on a high by inciting a mass a capella sing-a-long of Objects in the Mirror.

Amongst an ocean of young talent, Mac Miller has defied odds and proven himself as one of rap’s hottest properties. Judging by this, he shows no signs of stopping.