The last time I saw Lovers Turn To Monsters as part of a full band was at his album launch a good couple of year’s ago, that time the arrangements felt a touch too heavy and skipped dangerously around a scenster post-hardcore aesthetic.
Tonight is different, as Kyle Wood’s latest band seems to have found a more balanced sound that compliments the singer-songwriters ultra lo-fi pop tunes.
Kyle is his usual comical self, mumbling endlessly while tuning up and filling any on stage problems that would generally cause awkward pauses into amusing stories.
Sometimes it’s hard to shut the boy up onstage as he talks about swimming in the sea and how his songs sound more pop with a full band, but yeah this prolific former one man guitar and drum machine project is really progressing into an impressive live act.
Algernon Doll is a heavier prospect but there’s no real danger of them derailing into scenster territory especially with members of Glasgow indie popsters Where We Lay Our Heads making up part of Ewan Grant’s four-piece band.
It’s fairly safe to say that we like these guys at Rave Child, I’ve known Kyle since school days and Ewan’s first two albums Camomile and Citalo-Pop were a charm, with ‘Cassini’ reaching number 15 in last year’s track of the year list.
Tonight’s set is slightly hampered by its surroundings as Bloc’s often difficult sound doesn’t allows Ewan’s vocals to reach past his heavier band, still the way the set is delivered is a joy to behold as the band power through some deliciously sunny edged fuzzy numbers with infectious energy.
Tonight showcases two individuals who have come a long way in recent years, both starting out as solo projects and branching out to full band arrangements, if tonight’s performances are anything to go on it’s hard to see them not continuing from strength to strength.
Words: Iain Dawson
Rave Child 