Issue 95 / Dec18/Jan19

REVIEWS
Zuzu
+ Peaness
+ SHARDS
EVOL @ Jacaranda Records Phase One –
10/11
SHARDS are first on at Phase One, initiating the lulling tones
that echo throughout most of the night. The young four-piece
impress with their often long and slowly crescendoing songs
from the subdued to the climactic – via a healthy dose of dreamy
reverb. The band’s sound, along with frontman Alex McKenzie’s
vocals, is similar to Bombay Bicycle Club and they are certainly
one to keep your eye as they pop up around local venues.
There is an inevitable sense of curiosity that will follow the
second support act of the night with their mildly provocative
band name. But, apart from making your nan blush, PEANESS
are an instantly likeable band that assert their creativity through
their upbeat, groovy rhythms and all-round fun songs such as
Ugly Veg and Seafoam Islands. The all-female trio make it look
easy on stage. Their collaborative harmonies between bassist
Jess and guitarist Balla reinforce the catchiness of their indie-pop
tunes.
A Birkenhead native, ZUZU has been quietly making waves
in the underground scene over the past year, signing a record
deal with Virgin Records and securing big name support slots
for Tom Grennan, Peace and The Courteeners. Yet after all this,
and even being touted as the “future of Liverpool pop” by the
Guardian, she remains charmingly grounded, even apologising
for her untimely illness on stage. The show must go on, hey. And
that it does. Looping riffs from guitarist and producer Kurran
Karbal drift in and out of her tunes that complements a sound
fluctuating from the leisurely to the euphoric. In slower moments,
she resembles Courtney Barnett with her conversational Scouse
twang before, unexpectedly, her and the band boldly smash into
a jubilant chorus that more resembles Taylor Swift. It’s this mix of
unpredictability and melody that ensures the entertainment value
needed for a live act.
Dark Blue, Beauty Queen and especially All Good are
manifestations of Zuzu’s ability to write (very good) songs
that cram themselves in a place between dreamy-indie and all
out pop, but not going too far in either direction. The songs,
relating from science fiction to the everyday, become absorbing
around the room and leave you wanting more after the short
set. Although signed to a major label, Zuzu is an artist who
unapologetically wants full creative control of her act. Whether
Zuzu (Stuart Moulding / @oohshootstu)
that is writing her own songs, experimenting with different
instruments or directing her own music videos, she is all about
originality and creativity in being her own person, her own artist.
The mainly female led atmosphere of the night is refreshing
to see in an industry that has been overwhelmingly saturated
by male guitar bands. More and more we are seeing extremely
talented female artists on stage, which correlates with the recent
Fender study showing that 50 per cent of all new guitar players
are women across the UK and the United States. Across the
country, it’s local artists like Zuzu and Peaness that have helped
that trend grow and encourage even more girls to take to the
stage. The artistry of the night is at once patent, infectious and
seemingly effortless. The future, should these trends develop, will
rightly be female led.
Conal Cunnningham
Jane Weaver
Leaf – 18/10
“There’s a lot going on back here, believe me,” says
JANE WEAVER from behind a mountain of equipment. She
says this to an enrapt audience upstairs at Leaf. She’s not
messing, there’s heaps of equipment – luckily Weaver is in
control. She moves around the stage with calm authority
using the various instruments to create a world of sound
which can only be described as spellbinding.
This tour, Loops In The Secret Society, includes songs
from two of her albums, last year’s Modern Kosmology and
2014’s The Silver Globe. It sees Weaver accompanied only
by hypnotising visuals which play on a screen behind her,
creating layered sounds which are so beautiful the whole
room is caught in a quiet reverie.
The images played on a loop behind Weaver
complement the sounds and create a multi-sensory evening.
It’s as if the audience are encapsulated in a womb, safe
away from the real world outside. Weaver obviously has
a clear idea of the feelings she wants to create in her
audience: time spent in various indie bands and creative
musical enterprises means she knows her stuff and has the
confidence to go beyond the ordinary.
She does this through sheer hard work, but it could
be sleight of hand and magic as she makes it seem so
effortless. Her talents are deftly displayed as she changes
between instruments seamlessly.
Then there’s her voice. It is pure and captivating. She
uses the aforementioned loops of the tour’s title to create
layers of cosmic and textured sounds which sound heavenly:
a stellar choir answering an angel’s call. It’s woven from
magic but substantial enough to carry its notes with
confidence. Further depth is cleverly added as Weaver plays
7” singles of her own voice as backing tracks. Her voice
comes with such ease that she seems otherworldly in a
flowing gown, a radiance emanating from her.
The candlelit Leaf makes for an intimate performance;
everything is packed on to the tiny stage leaving every move
exposed. It’s brave; there’s nowhere to hide and any mistake
would be played out in front of the packed room. The
pressure must be huge, but Weaver is completely in control,
with relaxed chat in between songs where she downplays
the magic. But even this easy chat leaves us intoxicated by
her words.
The audience is open to journeying to a world far from
the reality outside on a Thursday night in Liverpool. It’s a
radical approach which definitely pays off and its success
is testament to Weaver’s playfulness, vision and talent. It’s
simply divine.
Jennie Macaulay / @jenmagmcmac
Jane Weaver (Molly Norris / @clarathecarefreechicken)
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