We went to see how local four-piece band Divorce's first ever Bodega show went...
I am prone to hyperbole and cliché at the best of times, but Divorce’s faultless performance at Bodega gives me licence to go all in on the over-used laudations. Fresh from their UK tour and an appearance at Dutch music festival Left of the Dial in Rotterdam, a melting pot of up-and-coming bands from across Europe and further afield, Divorce are making country music sexy again, adding in their own spin of rock, balladry and a smatter of good honest British cynicism.
A four-piece consisting of Tiger Choen-Towell (vocals, bass), Felix Mackenzie-Barrow (vocals, guitar), Kaspar Sandstrøm (drums) and Adam Smith (guitar, keys), Divorce is a compilation of Nottingham music veterans from various projects, including Megatrain and alternative music contemporaries Do Nothing, coalescing to form a band nothing short of phenomenal.
Together they create a dazzling and seamless blend of Americana, rock, alternative guitar music, with a little bit of folk thrown in for good measure. Though all are Nottingham locals and stalwarts of the buzzing, thriving, humming music scene here, Divorce in its current manifestation has surprisingly never played the stage at The Bodega, almost a rite of passage in our small city.
Led by the heady and addictive bass of Choen-Towell, the set begins with their debut release Services and (spoiler alert) pans out to be one of the greatest sets the stage at The Bodega has seen in a very long time, nothing short of triumphant. The opening ribs of bass guitar shoot straight down my ears, as Choen-Towell, be-wigged and resplendent in a black suit and glossy blonde bob as is her wont, begins to sing in her unsuspectingly cherubic vocals. She immediately ensnares the attention of the previously rustling crowd, seducing us into an awe-filled silence.
Services is a fitting track to open what becomes an impeccable set. Not a single song fails to impress, all a perfect combination of clever sardonic lyrics, deliciously harmonious vocals and exciting, multifaceted instrumentation capturing and holding you effortlessly. But do not be deceived; Divorce conceal a forked tongue, dark streak and a mischievous glint in their eye, every song a cynical take down of the realities of adult life at the desiccating end of your twenties.
Tongue firmly in cheek, the band fondly refer to Checking Out, their most recent release, as “a song about killing”, and sets the bar and expectations high for their eagerly awaited EP. The track manages to be both wildly euphoric yet painfully weary, opening with a sucker punch of Choen-Towell’s country-influenced vocals, landing somewhere between Porridge Radio and Carrie Underwood (a stretch of a comparison I realise - but indulge me).
Divorce’s music is difficult to categorise but ridiculously easy to enjoy, as long meandering lines of lyrics shrouded in complexity fly in waves over the off-kilter drums, adding yet more texture to their wonky cowboy aesthetic. Choen-Towell’s comrade-in-vocals is guitarist Mackenzie-Barrow, whose rich baritone complements her powerful, soaring tones as they pass the baton of vocalist between them, clearly and gladly sharing this mantle of epic proportions. Divorce command the stage, simultaneously aloof and removed from the infatuated audience yet clearly relishing this triumph of a hometown show and creating the music they clearly adore.
This reverence of the home crowd is evident, a heaving gaggle of familiar faces and dedicated fans alike, turning out in full force to support this leviathan of a local band. Divorce feed off this energy, absolutely bringing the house down with final song Pretty. Crunching guitar segues into this killer track, Mackenzie-Barrow’s menacing vocals ensnare and encircle the tense, throbbing beat. The track builds to an exultant chorus, myriad tempo changes guiding you through until the climactic chorus of “I’ve met the love of my life”, letting loose with pure energy, the song swerves and dives. The set ends and the roof of The Bodega comes crashing down around our fully satiated ears.
Fetch me my lawyer, I want a divorce.
We have a favour to ask
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