Fists. photo: James Robert Birtwhistle
You know that thing where a celeb vanishes for a bit after they’ve had a baby or a serious meltdown - gone from the covers of magazines, almost forgotten, then bam! There they are, right back in your face and they look better than ever. More toned, better dressed, whiter teeth, bouncier boobs, glossier hair. If you were a more cynical person, you might think that they had got some work done. Well, if Nottingham was Hello! Magazine, then Fists would be that said celebrity.
I’m won't lie, their teeth weren’t terrible and their hair was quite good before they took about a year out - musically speaking, I’m not getting personal here. But after some panic that we’d seen the last of them, they have re-emerged and they are looking fine. Right, enough with the misplaced celebrity analogy. Basically, if you’ve missed Fists, fret ye not. They are back and they are in fine fettle.
They’ve calmed down over the six-odd years I’ve watched them perform, but haven’t we all in that time. They still play with the fervour they once did, but it all seems more focused now. Tez drums with a relaxed ease that doesn’t quite fit the intensity that it translates to in noise, James’ vocals are stronger than ever and with Angie and Dave, they hit the whole range, harmonising where necessary and going it alone at other points. They’re still playing country-tinged, early-nineties inspired indie with a healthy appreciation of rock and they’re playing it good. Playing a mix of old faves, tracks off last year's album, Phantasm, along with a surprising cover of It's A Rainy Day (Sunshine Girl) by Faust, while a dark and brooding new song suggests new material is being laid down for our listening pleasure at home.
Cowtown. photo: James Robert Birtwhistle
Next up Hello Thor brought us some out-of-towners to make our Friday night even better, the Leeds trio Cowtown. Playing perky indie-rock that made me forget that I’d been on my feet all day and fancied a sit down, the songs were quick fire, layered and generally fun. If I was Scott Pilgrim I would definitely have purchased all their t-shirts and fallen in love with the keyboard player. I’m not though - more’s the pity – I’m three dimensional, underpaid and not of that persuasion. Just because I couldn’t afford the t-shirt, though, doesn’t mean that I won’t be keeping an eye out for their upcoming gigs.
Last, but not least, Cantaloupe. These guys like to play hard to get. And by play I mean, they don’t play live very often. But, it’s always a treat when they do. The Thompson Brothers' favourite electro kraut-funksters are dusting themselves down in preparation for promoting their forthcoming LP that's due to drop early 2015. If the songs that were played tonight are anything to go by, the album will be bringing squelchy glitter balls of disco funk to the nation's ears. However intricate their rhythms and overlapping melodies may be, they never shy away for being outrageusly infectious, and for late on a Friday night down town, that's exactly what you want.
Cantaloupe, Cowtown and Fists played at Spanky Van Dykes on Friday 21 November 2014.
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