Rich Higton saw alt-indie three-piece Echoes in Smoke take to the Nottingham stage on their first UK tour...
Barcelona based alt-indie three-piece Echoes in Smoke have embarked on their first UK tour stopping off at Nottingham’s Rough Trade records. The band were supported ably by local acts Analogue Electronic Whatever and Pretty Windows.
Pretty Windows, a Nottingham born and bred post punk electronica duo, have been making themselves known to the local scene over the past year or so with recent gigs at Derby’s Dubrek, Dot to Dot Festival and Cucamaras in Sheffield. The duo’s songs, which lyrically weave tales of a life spent in Nottingham, are uniformly great. Their debut single Vinyl and Heck, focuses on those early days getting into music, buying records from Selectadisc on Market Street, an experience a lot of us over the age of 35 can remember with fondness, and was received well by the Rough Trade crowd. Comparisons could be made with that other two-piece act from Notts, Sleaford Mods. However, Pretty Windows have a style and vibe that is all their own and are a highly recommended act to see live.
It shouldn’t be long before they are bringing their show to our shores again
Mixing electronic exploration with more traditional pop structures, Analogue Electronic Whatever, who has taken his name from a quote by punk icon John Lydon, got the dance floor moving. A.E.W has been a staple on the local EMOM (Electronic Music Open Mic) nights in Notts and Derby and is an artist growing increasingly adept at crafting dance floor fillers, without resorting to the increasingly tired repetitive beats of mainstream house. A.E.W has more in common with electronic pop acts of the early eighties such as New Order, this can be heard no better than on the title track of A.E.W’s recent Our Studio 54 EP. Definitely one of the numerous talented names coming out of the burgeoning EMOM scene who needs to be experienced in a live setting.
Tonight’s headliners, Echoes in Smoke have travelled the furthest to be in Nottingham tonight. The trip seemed worthwhile though. The multi-national group consisting of artists from the UK, Sweden and Chile, dispensed their unique brand of psychedelic indie to the Nottingham throng. Lead singer Ana recalls the whimsical stylings of early Kate Bush, backed ably by drummer Pat and guitarist Jose. Tracks like new single Bones and the soundtrack to psychedelic hareem sounding Boxes to Mars were crowd favourites of the night. Echoes in Smoke only had three UK dates on this current tour (Noisily festival, Dubrek Derby and tonight’s Rough Trade gig) however it shouldn’t be long before they are bringing their show to our shores again.
Echoes in Smoke played Rough Trade on 14 July 2023.
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