Fresh on their first ever UK tour, London based Electric Litany brought their experimental mix up of sounds to the Exchange Basement stage for a Saturday night of good music and good times.
Opening the show was the fabulous No Feathers. A local band, these guys got the small, albeit lively, crowd warmed up and dancing along straight from the off. After their first song, I was slightly worried it would be a set full of sad hyperpop songs, but as soon as the second track started, these guys were rocking out hard. A brilliant combination of synths, guitars, drums and beat tracks made this a great opener to the show.
Up next were Nossiennes, another local band. Although a bit heavier than No Feathers, this three piece were certainly using every bit of energy they had to rock the little basement stage. These guys had short, simple, punchy lyrics, and twinned with some brilliant use of loop pedals made this experimental shoe gaze band one of my new favourites to listen to. I cannot wait to hopefully see these guys again one day.
Well done to the promoter for finding two awesome local bands to support, each with their own unique style but still perfectly accompanying each other and the main band.
And then we were on to Electric Litany. As I was watching these guys set up, I could already tell this was going to be a good show. As well as the standard guitar/drums/bass, there were two synthesisers, an electric keyboard and a weird table top stringed instrument on stage. A lot of instruments for a small stage.
From the first song, these guys brought their amazing mix-and-match style onto the stage and rocked it through the crowd. A clear group of very talented musicians, each bringing their own style and performance with them, and combining together to create the awesomeness that is Electric Litany.
As we got further through the set, the songs got heavier, more motivated, and the crowd were enjoying it more and more. For their first time playing outside of London/Europe, these guys had all the presence of a well-established touring band, and were holding their own on stage.
For the rest of the night, we were treated to love songs, political anti-establishment music, some heavy bass driven tracks and everything in between. Electric Litany knew how to keep a crowd, with each new track taking a new direction, before the big finish of the night. Enduring Days You Will Overcome, taken off the titled album, brought the night to a close, with one final showcase of the bands combined use of their instruments.
And that was the night. A showcase of three completely different bands, but each one complimenting the others perfectly. I’m sure everyone who came had a good time. A massive thank you to the venue and everyone who made this night happen.
Review and photos by Ted Stargatt
TrueStyleMusic 