On a winter’s evening, beside the quiet icy canals of Bristol, moors the Louisiana. The venue’s resemblance to an old steam boat from American civil war-era Mississippi, alongside its prestigious history as a music venue, lend it a distinct identity of which the city is rightly proud. Re-printed posters of past gigs from the likes of Fleet Foxes and The Libertines hang on the pillars with obvious pride.
As I head upstairs on this bitter Monday night towards the sound of the support act, I am pleasantly surprised to open the door to a packed room full of warmth. The support for tonight’s headline is Rae, a locally-based 3-piece freak-folk act whose lead singer Leonie gives a charming performance. Her warbling voice reminds me of sitting next to my grandmother in church (I’d usually stifle a childish chuckle) but Leonie sings beautifully, and I enjoy it just as much as the quietly appreciative crowd.
The headline act, Syd Arthur, are an exciting new prospect from Canterbury that have been heralded the ‘Sons of Prog’ owing to their deep roots in the Canterbury progressive rock movement of the 70s. Following exposure to bands such as Soft Machine and Caravan at a young age, the band’s explorations in progressive music are well complimented with more recent experimentation with folk and psych on their new album ‘On and On’.
The set begins with the first single from the album ‘Edge of the Earth’. Its eerie guitar and violin intro, leading into crashing drums and a driving rhythm, has earned many listens for most of the summer and, live, it doesn’t disappoint. The song morphs subtly into a new composition from the band, which blends well with the band’s oeuvre. Third song, ‘Moving World’, is another strong contender from the album, and brings steamed glasses and enthusiastic nods from the crowd. Individual expressions of appreciation include, but are not limited to, a lone man sitting in front of the stage fiercely practicing his canoeing skills. I was mildly disappointed to find out later it was not their manager.
After another new tune, with multi-instrumentalist Raven Bush’s (nephew of Kate Bush) violin reminiscent of an Atari computer game sound effect, the band had to contend with some technical difficulties before really hitting their stride. With a slightly sweatier demeanor than before, front man Liam Magill leads the band to find their killer groove. Liam’s sweetly melodic vocals hover effortlessly above the instrumental sounds in their next song ‘Mornings Calling’, a track off their 2010 debut EP. The song ends beautifully with Liam whistling the melody, Andrew Bird-esque, over samples of bird calls before crashing into a heavy jam that really showcases the group’s new-found tightness.
As we arrive at the halfway point of the set, the band perform ‘Dorothy’, the next single from On And On and heralds a timely change in tempo. The spacious melodies and close vocal harmonies provided by bass player (and Liam’s brother) Joel and Raven are again embraced by the crowd.
The band continue the rest of the set with a number of other promising tracks from the new album such as ‘First Difference, Truth Seeker’ and ‘Paradise Lost’, plus another couple of new songs that we later find out will be on the follow up album promised sometime next year. The evening reaches its climax and ends triumphantly on one of these new numbers, and displays enormous potential. The drums explode in the verse and point to a fresh direction from the rest of their material. The song resolves nicely in the choruses with the band’s signature broken rhythms and emphasized first two beats of each phrase. The song culminates in a heavy groove that leaves the crowd begging for more.
Syd Arthur show a sincere passion, and plenty of attitude, on stage. They give an experience that will stand them in great stead for next month’s Paul Weller support show in Amsterdam, a gig they apparently landed with the power of a band badge. Never under-estimate them and keep them firmly fastened at all times. I highly recommend seeing these guys the next time they swing by your local (atmospherically dingy) music venue. This is where you will feel their warmth the most.
