Madrid's The Parrots have a Hoot in Nottingham
Nottingham’s The Chameleon provides the intimate setting for The Parrots’ final date supporting Hooton Tennis Club on their UK tour.
There seems to be a certain hunger for Spanish garage-rock at the moment, what with Hinds set to release their debut album next year and Los Nastys being hailed as the best band at Monkey Week, Spain’s answer to SXSW. So it’s no surprise that The Parrots are gaining such momentum in the UK, having played a multitude of shows in London over the last year and now infiltrating other parts of the country, this being their first time in Nottingham.
There’s a definite simplicity to the three-piece’s sound. It is rock n roll as it was first conceived: surf-rock inspired riffs, an explosive rhythm section and a captivating frontman. It’s no frills but plenty of spills, as aforementioned frontman Diego repeatedly traverses the non-existent divide between crowd and band, invariably nudging a lager-clutching hand in the process. Bassist Alejandro and drummer Larry concoct a pounding rhythm sound, while being occasionally assisted by Hooton Tennis Club’s Ryan Murphy on tambourine.
It’s “White Fang”, taken from their recent ‘Weed For The Parrots EP’, that impresses the most. It’s instantly recognisable as a clever amalgamation of surf rock and harsher proto-punk, with Diego’s vocals lurching between a considered croon and a series of wild yelps. “To The People Who Showed Me Their Love While I Was Here” also deserves a mention; its considered, plodding bassline giving it a Nuggets-esque vibe.
Hooton Tennis Club soon follow. Their updated take on 90s slacker rock is certainly more deliberate than The Parrots’ howling garage rock. The Liverpool-based four-piece’s set samples mainly from this year’s debut album ‘The Highest Point In Cliff Town’, with the Britpop buzz of “P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L. P.I.E.R.R.E” and the melancholic jangle of “Jasper” standing out. It’s only during their spontaneous encore do Hooton Tennis Club hint at any ramshackle nature, performing an off-the-cuff cover of The Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner” – it is, of course, brilliant.
And so that’s that – a fine UK tour comes to an end. The Parrots and Hooton Tennis Club attack rock n roll from slightly different angles, but the former’s rawness more than complements the latter’s considered sprawl and we’re all the richer for it. Rock n roll at its finest.
