Gig review: Seas of Mirth at The Old Bus Depot

The Old Bus Depot on Fisher Gate is somewhere that can be easily passed by without a thought. Before going to see local party revellers, Seas of Mirth, I was totally oblivious of its existence as one, an old bus depot, and second, as its place as a community-led arts venue tearing at the underskin of everyday urban life.

The once dilapidated, post-modern eyesore of gentrified 21st century Nottingham was tonight being transformed into a neon nautical hideout with luminous jellyfish cultivating in the upstairs auditorium.

The mood certainly has an aquatic vibe to it. There is an abundance of blue and violet and the crowd are all bobbing along, some even dressed in Naval outfits to set us on this musical voyage, one which will take us through many genres and, with all its mirth, make for a night of good new discoveries.

Seas of Mirth have been described as “totally incomparable” by the likes of R n R. They are a band who seem to be made of a thousand layers. Their influences range from Animal Collective to Stereolab from Cardiacs to Frank Zappa although their sound fits any nook and cranny between them. The local sextet have an appetite for auratic soundscapes filled in with stomping beats akin to Earth, Wind and Fire’s Boogie Wonderland. The band have themselves managed to create a boogie wonderland of their own with their layers of pulsating rhythm that makes dancing a compulsory activity.

Kicking off proceedings were one half of ambient quartet Purple Hat Mob. Willem and Dave, from the band, performed a stripped back set which was layered in dreamy cinematic samples composed with a bedroom pop edge that inhabits an auratic sleepiness without the need to fall asleep. The dreamscapers drew on their ambient roots to scenic riffs that added to the elemental feeling of things.

The duo are able to add a cosiness to the venue with cold air still blowing through the air as I entered the venue. The cosiness draws on the group’s strong post-rock influence and the more subtle influences of groups like Durutti Column and Talk Talk. The stripped back approach is more enticing for the audience but also see them very enticed in their work to not notice the crowd’s presence.

Following on from that came the sounds of Ushti Baba, who are very eager to let you know where they come from with their name derived from Bristolian dialect. Ushti Baba have built up a sizable following and have been championed by the likes of BBC 6 Music for their raucous gypsy-folk tones that swallow up a large crowd. The raucous atmosphere is in full flow with a stage cramped with everyone from a hip-hop beat boxer to an electric cello player on a cajon to a trumpeter who can barely fit on the end. The band brings a punchy energy that sees the crowd hooked on every rhythm while the beat rolls on and on with the songs inspired by modern shanties and tales of ancient folklore.

Their approach to modern folk music is unique as it brings elements of surprise such as big jungle beats synthesised with wild melodies and a captivating horn section. Too much is going on to really understand what's happening, but this somehow is the beauty of their sound. The set, which was over an hour long, felt more like a co-headliner as opposed to a supporting set, but took nothing away from Seas of Mirth and their spellbinding headline slot which was to follow.

Seas of Mirth’s entry onto the stage came from a strange combination of bubble guns and Belinda Carlyle courtesy of Heaven is a Place on Earth. The band are dressed in all white sweat-wear although it looks as if they’re dressed up to go on a pub crawl. There is something about the band that is just hypnotic: the colours, the shapes of jellyfish, and, to pardon the lazy pun, the seas of mirth in the crowd. 

The band’s aquatic influence seems intercontinental with bits taken from Aussie psyche giants Tame Impala and King Gizzard in terms of the elemental hooks and the luminous lightshow. The band, who have just released their new album Kriller, are the ultimate party crowd pleasers. There doesn’t seem to be a dull face in the crowd as we head into the midnight hour and there are echoes from frontman Cannonball of “Are we going to the bar?!” to which the crowd replied “Yes, we are!”. Their ability to control crowds with a stomping rhythm section and a myriad of guitars is something to admire. Bravo indeed!

If this couldn’t get any more strange, a game of tug of war erupts in the crowd, an indication that anything goes when the clock strikes midnight thus ending an evening of completely surreal enticement amongst a crowd of slaves to the rhythm. In a sense, the tug of war is a good metaphor to describe this evening: an evening of going back and forth in a tidal wave of oscillating bodies and grooves that go in different directions. 

As far as Seas of Mirth have proved, they have brought ecstasy and euphoria to a venue in a way that music rarely can. It has been able to transform a once dilapidated part of a nostalgic era to a mecca for the weird and wonderful. May they continue to bring the good sound of aquatic funk to the people of Nottingham and further afield. It is something to truly behold.

Seas of Mirth performed at The Old Bus Depot on 5th October 2024.

@seasofmirth