Live Review :: Doldrums + Silver Waves + Body Clocks :: The Louisiana, Bristol - May 22 2015

Live Review: Doldrums + Silver Waves + Body Clocks

The Louisiana, Bristol

May 22 2015

Words/Photos: Pollyanna Sheehan


Hailing all the way from Canada, Doldrums played a night at Bristol’s Louisiana as part of their European tour in support of their second album ‘An Air Conditioned Nightmare’. The three - Eric Woodhead on vocals, Steve Foster on drums, and Alex Ja on synths - formed the headliners for the latest Chiverin showcase and support came from two relatively new acts: Silver Waves and Body Clocks. These showcases have a reputation for promoting exciting new talent from the local area, and this night proved no disappointment. Despite having to compete with the multitude of live music opportunities through the likes of Love Saves the Day and Dot to Dot that were happening over the Bank Holiday weekend, The Louisiana was fairly busy and the majority of the crowd saw all three acts perform as an exciting start to the extended weekend.  

First on was the Stroud-based duo Body Clocks. If it weren’t for speaking with Joe Craven and Josef Kašpar - the incredibly talented two that make up the band - I would never have guessed this was their first proper gig. Having previously played a ‘warm-up’ at a friend’s house, the intimate crowd were enjoying their offering, and if they hadn’t have confessed halfway through their set as to their novice status, it's probable no-one would have guessed. Through layering lively beats and ambient electronic tones, with a live double bass for extra onstage intrigue, Body Clocks delivered one of the most exciting performances from a new artist I’ve seen in some time.

Silver Waves, aka Dylan Mallett, cut a small and unsuspecting presence on stage but went on to unleash an intense, electronic-heavy, apocalyptic sounding set. He was just one young man positioned in front of a microphone and behind a makeshift board that held a cacophony of pedals and other devices. Silver Waves delivered a visionary set that unfortunately seemed to bypass some of the crowd, who probably weren’t expecting such an intensity of sound. A standout moment was the performance of the raucous ‘III’ taken from his EP2. After gradually building, this track emanated darkness through the walls of heavily distorted effects and eerie chanting. Yet this set provided a good segue into Doldrums’ set, which was laden with their experimental electronic sounds, light vocals and innovative drumming.

Starting their set with ‘Funeral for Lightening’ taken from their most recent album ‘The Air Conditioned Nightmare’, Doldrums set the tone for the rest of their performance that had the crowd dancing and intrigued with their sound. Early tracks like ‘HOTFOOT’ and ‘Blow Away’ in particular, allowed Foster to deliver astounding performances on the drums with Ja and Woodhead providing the heavy electronic and bass elements to the show. Displaying an electric onstage energy that the crowd reflected, Doldrums’ set continued to deliver an incredibly energetic and dynamic array of tracks from earlier work ‘Lesser Evil’ too. Towards the end, the swirling electronic textures underneath Woodhead’s vocal contrasted with the punctuated drumming and melodic bass interjections of ‘We Awake’, had the crowd dancing and enjoying the many dimensions of their sound. The immensely infectious staccato melody of their falsely proclaimed last song ‘Loops’ continued to build on this, before Doldrums lulled us with the atmospheric waves of synths of set closer ‘Closer 2 U’.

All in all, this showcase was a loud but incredibly energetic and enjoyable affair, leaving my ears ringing in the best way possible.