An Ig Ma and Ellipse present – Suns of Rest
The Institutes
Holy Thief
Drapers
Coventry
28/10/2017
Every now and again people get in touch and ask us at Fighting Boredom to come and review a show, if we can we will and that’s how we ended up at Drapers in Coventry for the Halloween special presented by An Ig Ma and Ellipse. Three bands and all pretty good, read what we thought below.
Drapers in Coventry is a strange place to watch a band play, they are tucked in next to the bar in the brightly lit downstairs, there’s no stage but it still works. This is the Halloween special from An Ig ma and Ellipse where for four measly quid you get three pretty decent bands. Another good night out with music.
Holy Thief are resplendent in cheap Halloween costumes and, except for a few of the crowd, are the only ones who’ve really made an effort. They play great big riffs in a wigged out rock lurry with a high clear vocal. The sound is epic and grand, they’ve got a hard backbone with a wrapping of emotion.
The bursts of feedback add to the sound as they go quiet and barely held back. The sound goes from classic rock to creepy goth to epic indie. The songs are spun out as they extend the groove between the vocals. Then halfway through the third song they explode into the bombast and majesty of what I can only lazily compare to classic Queen, Muse and classic Prog, that’s when everything clicks into place. It’s a great big stadium filling noise and should be echoing around bigger and better venues than this.
The Institutes play classic indie rock. They are melodic, emotional and understated. The guitars are clear and high but it’s the drums that drive them on, they are played not just to keep time but to add to the songs and make them stronger and fuller. This is proper British Rock’n’Roll that sounds like right now, not a regression back to anything before, just spot on. There’s lot’s of chat and encouragement to us to dance and ‘Have It!!’ They are for the kids that like a beer, a good tune with a bit of swagger. The singer is in the audience now, the corner isn’t big enough for them either. They move into a slightly psychedelic sound, slow and measured. The crowd is growing too.
Each song opens up a bit more and lets you see more of the band. Then the singer starts playing the harmonica and pushes their groove into a psych freak out, it’s great.
The last song is the new single, it’s big, bold and ballsy. At the end the singer is up the stairs halfway to the balcony singing way above the band and claiming the night. A great set.
Sons of Rest start with a high clear guitar, then a low spaced bass, the drummer just plays on the cymbals and a tambourine builds the atmosphere more, the slow burning intro just racks the tension up towards an explosion and when the sound kicks in we get a massive indie psych rocker spiraling off into the void. When the vocals start they are just a harmony alongside the music then smoothly slides into words and it’s perfect. The sound is once again huge, but this time bright and optimistic. The overriding groove is laid back and cool.
The rock guitars and the psychedelic feel brings to mind the quieter moments from the Cult in their heyday but it soon twists away from that into an explosion of psychotic psychedelic doors swinging wide and the multicoloured rock’n’roll enveloping you in it’s power. Their songs build up and grab you by the throat, another great band.
So all three bands were great, but they seemed hemmed in by the nature of the venue, but in the end that didn’t stop any of them from being excellent. A great night.
–
Ellipse Promotions are also on
Facebook.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
