Live
Thyla
The Hope & Ruin, Brighton
November 29 2017
Words/Pictures: Steve Willcox
Having heard positive reports about local indie-dream-alt-rock group Thyla, to turn up seeing them on their support outing for Femme here at The Hope & Ruin was too good an opportunity to miss.
There are about 30 people waiting for the quartet's set, which is good for the opening first support and on a midweek night too. Arriving on stage they thank the crowd before starting off with ‘Everything’. With Mitch Duce’s guitar riff being already catchy enough to grab my attention, it then soon got into some serious basslines from Dan Hole and drumming from Danny Southwell, as its haunting melodic tone was perfected by Millie Duthie’s ethereal, penetrating voice. This girl's lyrical vernacular has a broad 80s indie vibe to it without bordering on pastiche. The song segued into ‘Ferris Wheels’ and immediately Danny’s rapid fire drums become the feature of this uptempo song about believing in yourself whilst others around you have a less then positive belief. The crowd are by now starting to move and really get into it, and you get the feeling this band shouldn’t really be there and that they should be playing at a bigger venue.
With the room now filled out, people have pushed forward, creating a more intimate feel for the band to foil against. New single ‘Tell Each Other Lies’ sounds as good live as it does on record. From the sombre start, Millie’s voice sounding soft and floaty, but then picking up against the fuzzy instrumentation and Mitch’s guitar reverb echoing like a synth. Next up ‘I Was Biting’ and ‘Blame’ are both great numbers with heavy hooks and sharp lyrics.
Looking at the band in general, I’m trying to find who the catalyst of the band is. I really can’t fathom it out as they all play their instruments out of the ball park, but my money is going to be on bassist Dan Hole who seems to take it all in his stride. Millie tells the crowd at one point how she cut her finger badly before the show and used the guitarist’s best friend - super glue - to stop the bleeding just before the gig started tonight; valiant trooper, this girl. Set closer comes by way of ‘Pristine Dream’ and this time not dressed up as the Robert Palmer’s 80s ‘Addicted To Love’ girls (see the band's video for that reference). The song Is a testament of what can be achieved with focus on a new path and an awesome skill set, Millie finally collapses on the stage whilst rapturous applause surrounds the room, ending what has been a quite spectacular performance from this band-to-watch.
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