Mini Mansions Put On Brave Performance In Front Of Tricky Crowd

There is only one support for Royal Blood’s March UK tour, but given the speed with which the tour sold out, it’s not surprising to find Rock City already packed out before Mini Mansions enter the stage. It’s obvious once the three piece emerge, however, that a crowd simply making an appearance at a venue does not guarantee you an audience, especially at a four-bar academy on a Saturday night.

The sound in Rock City fails to do the indie pop band any favours either, as while ‘all amps turned to 11’ might be the best policy for punchy hard rock Royal Blood, the lighter, poppier Mini Mansions suffer as vocal harmonies and synth melodies are lost in a general fuzz.

The talent of the band is obvious both in the composition of the songs but more importantly in the solos. However once again while excellently performed, the crowd is quick to lose interest as the band retreat into their own selves, and at times it seems the background chatter will overwhelm the sound of an individual. There is minimal crowd interaction from the band members, each of whom seem entirely absorbed in their own sound.

‘Freakout’ is a definite highlight: with a thumping bass line and catchy chorus it seems as if the band have finally gained the attention of more than half the room, the atmosphere suddenly electric. However the quieter breakdown makes the lack of interest from those standing at the back painfully obvious as people loudly converse with those around them, and almost as soon as the excitement arrives it disappears.

Mid-set we’re treated to an experimental, melancholy cover of Blondie’s ‘Heart Of Glass’. While at any other show you would expect the biggest crowd reaction to be for a cover of a chart-topping song, there was no response from Rock City tonight.

Despite the disappointing response, a recently-announced Queens of the Stone Age hiatus and a new album on the way (read our review), means the future looks promising for Mini Mansions, and will hopefully bring them back to Nottingham to a more receptive crowd.

To find out more about Mini Mansions click here.

To visit the Mini Mansions Facebook page click here.

Words by Emily Kyne

COMMENTS

• Emily Kyne
  It's safe to say Royal Blood had a far better reception!