Live Review
The Rupees + Rozelle
The Louisiana, Bristol
April 18 2015
Words/Photos: Pollyanna Sheehan
Bristol-based five-piece The Rupees recently hosted the launch of their second EP ‘Extravaganza’ at The Louisiana – and what a memorable evening it was! The Rupees self-describe their music as having the desired effect of leaving their audience “rocked and rolled”. And with their combination of heavy atmospheric synths, big guitar riffs and a rough vocal to create a very lively and immensely enjoyable sound, that is an apt description.Stating the dancing of John Travolta amongst life event that had had a minor influence on their writing, the audience was in for quite a treat.
The Louisiana, being one of Bristol’s more intimate venues, is often alikened to playing someone’s front room, yet The Rupees used this to their advantage by decorating the stage with plenty of fairy lights and covering the surrounding walls with an array of tie-dyed and vividly patterned tapestries, which aesthetically reflected their psychedelic-infused rock ‘n’ roll sound.
Before The Rupees could take to the stage, however, it was the turn of local Bristol outfit Rozelle to prepare the crowd. They delve straight in with a stunning opening track ‘Heavy’ that morphed into their second track ‘Feel’. On these tracks, particularly ‘Heavy’, the vocal contrast between frontwoman Hayley Smith’s soft and haunting voice and synth player/vocalist Loulou Barry’s deeper counter-melody weaved together to create an intriguingly unique sound, which carried through their set. Following tracks ‘Altitude’, ‘Inhale’ and ‘Transparent’ allowed Rozelle to demonstrate their love of synths and other electronic sounds, which added to their intense dark pop sound. Set closer ‘Rust and Earth’ carried a distinguishable urgency and liveliness about it, notably through Rowland’s flittering guitar part that complimented Smith’s pleading vocal.
Following on from this wonderful opening by Rozelle, the crowd was excited and eager, chanting for The Rupees to take the stage. Opening with the title track of their EP ‘Extravaganza’, followed by ‘Me and You’, the band set the tone for the rest of their set. ‘Me and You’ had the crowd dancing and clapping along, and teasing tempo changes in a later track, ‘Fat Blues’, kept them eager. Performances of ‘Ego’ and ‘Catch 22’ were laden with their characteristic blues-infused guitar riffs that are reminiscent of the Black Keys and memorable choruses. These tracks gave time to expand the lively rhythm sections where Jacob Chambers’ synth work, Seamus Daley Dees’ playful drumming and Dan Garwood’s catchy guitar riffs worked perfectly to keep the crowd dancing for the entire evening.
In places during the night, Ryan Tucker’s raw vocal was complemented by Garwood’s smoother voice on tracks such as ‘Nobodies’, which demonstrated the band's versatility through successfully writing and delivering slower tracks, which were equally as enjoyable for the audience. Garwood’s smooth vocal was most notable on their explosive and outstanding final delivery of ‘Wishing My Life Away’. Pouring every ounce of energy they had into their set, the crowd gave all they had in return and as a result, The Rupees delivered an incredible live show from start to finish. These are a definitely a band that need to be experienced live, as their music truly comes to life through their energetic performance.
No comments:
Post a Comment