Live
Cloud Nothings
Patterns, Brighton
January 25 2019
Word/Pictures: Steve Willcox
Cleveland’s indie noise rock band Cloud Nothings follow the October release of their latest and fifth studio album, ‘Last Building Burning’, with a UK and European outing, kicking off tonight in Brighton.
Vocalist Dylan Baldi alights the stage and the band soon gets into album opener ‘On an Edge’. As it gradually fades up with a swathe of anarchic buzzsaw riffs and drumbeats, he screams down the mic like a devil possessed and certainly works this crowd up - and keeps the pace throughout this set of frenetic bangers.
Early on, Baldi thanks the audience for coming and tells us that he’s just been sick backstage in a crisp bag, to which one wag in the audience shouts out “what flavour?” - “a green one!” whips back the singer quickly, though with perhaps a little too much information for those on their fourth or fifth pint after curry meal before the show!
On to the music, latest single ‘The Echo of the World’ with its lo-fi guitar and machine gun beats from masterly drummer Jayson Gerycz, and heavy on attitude style, starts the mosh off in the crowd to such a degree thar those less sturdy are cowering by the speaker stands or clinging on to those next to them.
After playing the whole of the new album - described previously by Baldi as "seven short, and one long, bursts of intense, controlled chaos" - including the visceral 'Leave Him Now', a lyrical plea from Baldi to a friend to leave an abusive relationship, they delve into the back catalogue with 2017’s high energy ‘Modern Act’, with its punky zest and catchy pop melody from guitarist Chris Brown that brings the audience to its dancing feet.
After a technical hiccup we learn it’s bassist TJ Duke's birthday today, so as they busy themselves with repairs on stage, the crowd goes through a collective cheer, before the band launch straight into 2014’s ‘Now Hear In’; as it increases in bpm, the moshers work their way to the front to go crazy.
From the opening bars, ‘Stay Useless’ shows Baldi in a different light with a punk energy and despondent lyrics, flailing guitars surrounds as the drums roll to its end. Ending the set with ‘I’m Not Part of Me’ with Chris’s ‘chunk chunk chunk’ guitar start the song whips up a final hurrah for the crowd as they start jumping and gesturing to the band as they all sing the chorus “You’re a part of me, you’re a part of me” and by the end of the show, they were.
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