I had been keen to visit the restored Band on the Wall venue since it reopened in September 2009, and booked tickets when I saw Erland and the Carnival were supporting Tunng. I have to admit I booked them to see Erland, but after listening to a bit of folktronica 5-piece Tunng I was equally excited about seeing both.
It’s a great venue, with a balcony that can really make a gig for a shorty like me. Despite being sold out there was plenty of space for moving around, especially impressive when you consider that the venue is run on a not-for-profit basis.
Erland and the Carnival came out with no fanfare, getting immediately stuck into their new album. Erland Cooper showed himself to be an animated frontman, dancing and winding as he sang and played, while guitarist Simon Tong (ex-Verve, ex-Blur, ex-The Good, the Bad and the Queen) and the rest of the band focused on their instruments. The folk-tinged rock sometimes echoed The Coral, but not to its detriment. For a new band they were very tight, and Trouble in Mind and Was you ever see were real stand out tracks.
Tunng followed, after setting up their own instruments. One of their founding members, Sam Genders, has recently left the band so it was interesting to see how this reduced line-up would fare playing their brand new album And then we saw land. They seem quiet and nervous, but there is clear devotion from the crowd and they soon get warmed up. The sound is unlike anything I’ve heard before, with electronic sampling taking a bold role in a very un-folklike manner. But the gentle voices of Mike Lindsay and Becky Jacobs confirm that this is still traditional folk, and their voices mainly weave into the electronica seamlessly. There is an odd dud track but most are winners. Don’t look down or back and Hustle are getting 6music radio play, which the band gratefully reference, but the encore shows they have kept the best til last. Jenny Again is a quiet ballad with intriguing lyrics that sticks in the mind for days, while Bullets sweeps triumphantly over the crowd who begged for it, as all the band sing the chorus. Although my brother picks Erland as his favourites of the night, its Tunng that stole my heart.
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