The Shortwave Set / The Grave Architects

Nottingham’s own broken-hearted, The Grave Architects, haven’t even played ten gigs yet in their short career as a band, but already something special’s going on. A distillation of Rivers Cuomo’s geekish charm, cut with a thorough British edge, chipper front-man Matthew Williams has a whole lot of hurt in him, twinned with a whole lot of ego that he’s eager to expound.

Their eccentric country-pop receives signals on the ground from the likes of Misty’s Big Adventure, whilst capturing a frank insight into their own lives as down-trodden human beings, affording the same appeal as lo-fi life observers, The Moldy Peaches.

A song about taking love out on the highway and around the world is a perfect 3am tale to be heard by congregating youths yet to experience the margins of life and are trying to make sense of it all.

Williams’ stage-presence is embracing and connective, the usual apathy reserved for support acts (particularly ones like these, so early in their infancy) is soon usurped by curious on-lookers, eager to understand this man who seems to be saying things we’ve all felt or experienced at one point or another.

A couple of the songs are truly great, a couple need some serious work, but it’s for their final number ‘Rejection’ that the night is remembered. Starting off with the slow bluesy sentiment that it seems every other song has received a leg up from, a minute in and it’s exploded into a full on – wait for it – Country Rap extravaganza that is surely, surely to become a cult smash amongst those with heart and humour in times to come.

After the trip inside ourselves, to the centre of the human condition, The Shortwave Set offer a trip into the past. They look like the constituent parts of a 70’s kids TV show, re-moulded into the shape of a band, and at times their sound isn’t too far off either.

An array of instruments including mouth organs, banjos and a vintage gramophone make for a musical swap shop, and their highly stylised sampling and electronic squelching bring their indie/trip-hop crossover dramatically to life.

Their songs meander from the atmospheric ‘Is It Any Wonder’ to the apathetic ‘Repeat To Fade’, but even when the tunes themselves aren’t that good, there is always an underlying sense of fun that keeps the momentum going. Example? Mid-show the band breaks into game-show funk, and host a tombola that coughs up a couple of winners who are given the opportunity to join the band on stage for the final song. It is engaging and free-spirited, and touching to see one of the winners, clearly a huge fan of the band, shyly singing every word with the tenor of a man who’s dream has just come true.

The good vibes keep flowing and by the end of the show everyone’s feeling upbeat and happy. The music in its own right may not have quite eclipsed the evening’s success, leaving proof that it’s the ensemble effect of character and performance that serves to make a good show, tonight presenting themselves in perfect unison.

FUTURE GIGS

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