Sorry aren’t in a hurry.
At times the speed of their output could be described as frustrating. There are three 7” singles, two demo tapes and a couple of multi-media releases that are a mix of heavy grunge guitars, hip hop beats and rhythms, angular segments, random time signatures and pop sensibilities. Every one of the double A-Sides and videos are different. Marrying all the above with a straight face and almost nonchalant in-difference could jar if they weren’t so damn good.
Shortly after they dropped this writers single of 2018 ‘Starstruck‘ they announced this stand-alone gig in Camden, which contrary to popular opinion is closer to where they’d call home than the South London scene they have been included in.
Sitting on the lock, the Dingwalls is dark and dingy, almost seedy as it still appeals to the young people crammed into the room that is larger than you’d imagine.
They kick straight into what is possibly the album opener ‘Wonderful World‘ and as you can imagine, it passes little resemblance to the Louis Armstrong classic. Instead it’s archetypal Sorry, which then bleeds into ‘Starstruck‘ and is followed by set-list veterans ‘More‘, ‘Moment‘ and ‘Prickz‘ which loosen them up but it’s brand new single ‘Jealous Guy‘ that highlights their chameleon qualities and special ability to swap or even bend genres and get away with it with a sly lip curl or gaze in wide-eyed wonderment as if they don’t believe they belong there.
It feels like that any time it could all implode, collapse in upon itself with its chord changes that you initially question whether it should there. And yet this is their forte. The unexpected. It would have been easy to follow up ‘Starstruck‘ with a similar track but instead it’s a circus introduction, maybe a Wurlitzer, and without a distorted guitar in sight, Jealous Guy takes a while to adjust to but is typical Sorry at heart.
The sound is noticeably sharp as a tack, and ear-splittingly loud, which gives it an odd nostalgia, the aftermath reminiscent of the old days when your ears would be ringing and thumping well into next day and beyond.
New cuts, including the slow ‘Wolf‘ which is a menacing slice with their trademark off the wall personality, stamped all over it and it sits alongside the likes of ‘Wished‘ and ‘2 Down 2 Dance’ like long lost friends.
When the album, that is in production as they speak, finally arrives it will be interesting to see what makes the cut. Do they sacrifice singles, re-record demo songs such as ‘Ode to Boy‘ or older tracks like ‘Rosie‘ or make it a 15 track sprawling double album?
Above all, Sorry are exciting. Stage patter is minimal, they rattle through the set-list like trains rush through stations, but it’s their individuality that makes them stand out. Through their often avant-garde moments, the melody is paramount. They can do key changes into the middle eight like The Beatles, Asha switches from sweet angelic in the upper reaches of her range to lower frequencies with a snarl and a spit in conjunction with Louis’ deadpan backing vocals it has a sense of humour and isn’t afraid to take the piss out of itself. It’s a bit weird, and that is brilliant when so many bands are so desperate to be cool, they join their mates Shame, HMLTD and even Idles in not taking themselves too seriously no matter the subject matter.
‘Lies‘ concludes proceedings as usual. The slow build of the chorus before the thunderous kiss-off “I make lies like we should be together” a cruel comment to an admirer, a pretence, a pretend.
There’s no encore but they’ve done enough. They embark on a tour with Fat White Family and play a number of dates on their own in May but we’re all itching for the L.P because on this showing it’s going to be seminal.
