The Big Moon win DIY's battle of the new bands
The first night of the inaugural DIY Presents NEU Tour takes places in the relatively intimate surroundings of Nottingham’s Bodega. The evening is to feature three up-and-coming bands: the grungey pop of VANT; the psychedelic dreaminess of INHEAVEN; and the post-punk rattle of breakthrough Londoners The Big Moon.
After a quick shuffle to the running order, VANT take to the stage first. They play half an hour of reasonably energetic, middle-of-the-road 90s rock, but they are from the exhilarating, future stars of indie rock that many have declared them. It’s a shame really, as lead singer Mattie appears capable of delivering neat, socially-aware political commentaries, but the dull, American college-rock backing track is not this writer’s vibe. Though perhaps this is a hasty conclusion and VANT’s time will come.
INHEAVEN soon follow with half an hour of breezy, semi-psych pop. This writer would be the first to admit that there isn’t anything particularly innovative in their Jesus and Mary Chain-meets-West Coast rock, but it still sounds bloody brilliant. “Bitter Town” could come straight off ‘Psychocandy’, while “Regeneration” has a distinctly more Britpop feel to it, huge chorus included. Short, distorted pop songs – INHEAVEN are a band going in the right direction.
Headlining the evening are The Big Moon. The four-piece are comfortably the most complete band on show tonight, deservedly drawing the largest crowd of the evening. What’s instantly noticeable is that it looks like they’re having a fuckload of fun. Their brittle post-punk is both fierce yet beautiful, interweaving chugging basslines with melodic guitars.
“Nothing Without You” races through a minute of stunning Gun Club-esque rock n roll, before encountering a bluesy breakdown. “Sucker” has a distinctly darker feel to it, its edge harking back to the golden days of late 70s post-punk. “Eureka Moment” is all rock n roll, racing along at virtually breakneck speed. It’s only a pretty average version of Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger” that ruins an otherwise formidable set, but we’ll give them that one, I suppose.
A mixed bag of an evening, as you can expect, but if there’s one thing to take from it all – it’s that nothing beats new music.
COMMENTS
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VANT are gonna make a big splash very soon. Not sure the criticism her is really warranted but hey, music is subjective. I just can't wait for them to smash the hardcore Californian folk windpipe scene. She looked at me