Simple Things is run in partnership with CRACK & FACT magazines, so the sound is eclectic and cutting-edge. And at £25 a ticket WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR?
From raw post-punk to bubblegum electro via ambient shoegaze, we had a multifarious time.
Simple Things treated us to excellence early in the evening with Jaakko Eino Kalevi, a Finnish dream whose weird sound was full of satisfying contradictions, at once dreamy fuzzy pop and calculated beats with rosy melodies carried by his deep voice and airy falsetto.
Meanwhile, on a small dark stage in Colston Hall, Esben and the Witch delivered a gripping, gut-grinding set . Their raw sound sits between anger and despair, their slow primal riffs brushed with eroticism.
Spectres, a Bristol band described as 'nu gazey noise', shared a similar grit, but their thick, noisey sound was propelled by infectious, shape-cutting beats.
Headlining the entire epic affair was the aptly grandiose Mogwai whose layered instrumental sagas blasted the crowd's ear drums to oblivion, rousing a sort of spiritual awakening in their uplifting ambient crescendos.
As if we imagined we could possible take any more, The Haxan Cloak wrapped up events nicely in a pitch black, strobe-steeped set of industrial-drone so heavy, I thought my face would fracture.
Gracious.
And, as always, no matter how many incredible bands you see, there are always the ones that got away, namely in this case: Liars, Eagulls, Onra, Actress and DJ Harvey, NEXT TIME HEY!
Thanks for reading! See you next time!
Kate x
