GIG REVIEW: welcome to the weird world of Happyness - Birthdays, 4th February //

for fans of: Mac Demarco, Wilco, Diiv, The Fat White Family, Honeyblood

(photo creds: Michael Jamison @ inthejunkyard)

Down the depths of Stoke Newington Road (well, about a ten minute walk from Dalston Kingsland station) is a disgustingly cute little bar called Birthdays. Being in the general Dalston / Stoke Newington / Islington / Shoreditch area, it's like a watering hole for hipsters. Standing outside drawing smoke out of their roll-ups were a sea of half-fringes, top knots, and Stan Smiths in the shadows of the awning lights.

Underneath the main bar, the bass throbbed with the rumblings of bold, self-confessed DIY rock outfit Nai Harvest. Hailing from Sheffield, it's unusual that they'd pocketed the support slot when a large chunk of the audience appeared to have been there for them rather than the main act. Statistically Nai Harvest are more popular: on average their angsty sounds attract slightly more Spotify traffic, they have four times the amount of Facebook likes, and are much easier to find on YouTube. Yet it is Happyness who had the honour of headlining this particular NME Award show. Other headliners of NME Award shows throughout the first quarter of 2015 include La Roux, Drenge, and the live return of The Cribs, however Happyness are the freshest, sprightliest young band of this crop.

The South London trio are Brooklyn-ready, having only just recently signed to cult label Moshi Moshi - previously nurturing big names such as Eagulls, Kate Nash, and Disclosure. As a welcome gift, the band explained in a slow, mumbled drawl how the label bought them drinks and a keyboard, which they exercised for the first time during the live debut of Regan's Lost Weekend (Porno Queen) - a dreamy piano ballad that manages to burn in one slow, steady swoop while paced by acoustic undertones.

Though none of the audience past the second row could see much else but 66.6% of the band - and even so, only their bobbing heads were visible over the crowd - they still managed to exude a very endearing stage presence. Their clumsy transitions and stuttering crowd talk was masked by their Dr Jekyll effect: Happyness manage to spout two very different sounds. There's no in between in their extremes: they produce either flossy garage turmoil or provocative dark-pop. The latter seemed to conjure the most rhapsodic reaction, particularly concerning brooding ballad Montreal Rock Band Somewhere / (one of my top 22 tracks of 2014).

photo creds: Michael Jamison

Among the crowd, I'd never seen so many long-haired men congregated in one place. Their curls bounced on their shoulders as they bopped around to beefed up versions of tracks from Happyness' aptly-named debut Weird Little Birthday - set to get its third reissue in March. Though their live sound is yet to be properly fulfilled - it still feels a tad empty and amateur - they still managed to amplify the sonically enjoyable but simultaneously super strange It's On You and tongue-in-cheek Great Minds Think Alike, All Brains Taste The Same into powerful little ditties. Bright grunge cheekiness may not be so evident in the greasy purr-a-long Baby, Jesus (Jelly Boy), until you clock lyrical gems such as "I see people come in twos / just like breasts do". It may be the third time I'd seen them live, and the umpteenth time I'd listened to that lyric, but their oddities always make me smile. Whether they were born that way, baby, or perpetually on some kind of mushroom remains to be seen. By the end of the set, Happyness had almost made a comfort zone alongside the excellent sound system and neon-lighted rainbow of Dalston's underground universe.

With a band of this much pizazz and novelty, it's no wonder that NME (notorious for being up Alex Turner's arse, but are always to be trusted to seek out zippy new talent) has got their back. Listen to their boisterous new 90s-esque single, A Whole New Shape, below.

CATCH HAPPYNESS ON LIVE DATES WITH JAWS ACROSS THE UK THIS YEAR
//TWITTER//
//FACEBOOK//

GIG REVIEW: NME NEW BREED TOUR PRESENTS SUPERFOOD + HONEYBLOOD - Dingwalls, 11th November //

In September this year, notorious music weekly NME announced their first ever New Breed Tour. Following in the footsteps of record label Communion's inaugral New Faces tour (which has most recently featured the likes of Fyfe and the insanely talented Amber Run), the NME New Breed Tour seeks to unveil to the world some of the industry's hottest tipped acts to make an impact over the next year. NME, very wisely, selected the deliciously named Superfood and Honeyblood to co-headline the tour.

The support for the London date came from the vastly unknown but strangely endearing Bad Sounds. Outfitted with we-have-never-even-walked-past-the-barber's hairstyles, the five piece took 80s pop rock to gleaming new heights. Their Egyptian Hip Hop-esque beats are clean and nothing short of completely funky. Unfortunately this is the only evidence I can find of them on the Internet, but I pray they release some more material over the coming months because I have an incredible thirst for more.

(photo creds: NME)

Honeyblood are Scotland's answer to Best Coast. Lead singer Stina Tweeddale's gutsy, reckless vocals scream out poisonous lyrics "I will hate you forever / Scum bag, sleaze / Slime ball, grease" in a fury of feminine angst. Their rebellious and rootsy girl power was devoured by the entire spectrum of gender in the crowd - a refreshing attitude from an audience who all too often claim that women have 'no place' in indie rock; a stereotype the industry has endeavoured to abolish in recent years with acts like Sky Ferreira, Haim, and female-fronted Wolf Alice. 90s grrrrl rock is back with a sting in its tail.

// OFFICIAL WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER //

where's wally did u mean where's georgia (photo creds NME)

Superfood, signed to Infectious Music, are an example of the young indie rock talent hailing from Birmingham. They join the ranks of 'B-town' alumni - notably Peace, Swim Deep, and Jaws - to set the music scene alight with their kinky garage sound. Having previously opened for Peace - and, in fact, at this very show - many fans of the band will discover a certain satisfaction in Superfood. Their addictive hooks are slick and candied by sweet riffs, yet the sheer noise of their Britpop infused sound was enough to rile the crowd into turmoil.

(photo creds DIY)

Rippling basslines were so effortlessly provided by resident cool girl Emily Baker while the true heartbeat of Superfood's catalogue of oddities and adolescent heartaches lay with drummer Carl Griffin. His thundering percussion created an atmosphere ripe for rebellion while lo-fi guitars were shredded to a pulp by Dom Ganderton and Ryan Malcolm to the delight of Dingwalls' lawless fans. No seriously, they were insane - no gig is complete without a full-on fandom stage invasion in which the onsite security melted into a proper mare. Such a devotion clearly filled the band with ecstasy as they looked out with a smile onto an unbridled moshpit while the leaking ceiling precipitated onto their heads. NME have well and truly sought out the next indie rock hype.

// JOIN ME IN SEEING ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BANDS TEMPLES ON THEIR UK TOUR WITH SUPPORT FROM SUPERFOOD #LASH // OFFICIAL WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER //

where's wally part 2 (creds superfood)

To add the icing on the cake, as my friend Aimee and I exited the venue's bathroom who do we end up walking behind but the flash of red hair and iconic fur coat of Harrison flippin Koisser - lead singer and superbabe from Peace :o:o:o We talked about sparkly tops, Superfood, and friendship, and he was as wonderfully lovely and eccentric as you would expect. I luv luv luv him.

Harrison and I xxx