Sound of Guns w/ The Twist, Lost City Soul
If you’re a regular reader of Daily Dischord, you may have noticed a live review from a few weeks ago telling the story of a band encountering technical problems during a gig in Aberdeen. Without dredging the past up too much, it’s fair to say the band in question handled it less than admirably. Those nameless tantrum-throwers could stand to learn a lot from Liverpool’s Sound of Guns, who tonight take all manner of sound issues in their stride, and actually manage to encourage a party atmosphere in the process.
Before that, though, come Lost City Soul. The last time we encountered LCS, it seemed like they showed signs of promise, if being a little away from the finished article. Tonight, they’re on excellent form: their brand of shimmering, upbeat indie sounds absolutely essential tonight, and while they’ve evidently brought along a few fans of their own, there’s no doubt they’ve picked up a few more by the time they leave the stage. Unquestionably a name to watch for indie fans. 8/10
Next come The Twist. Admittedly, they won’t win any awards for invention, but this bill fits them like a glove, and their spirited display earns them a thoroughly justified raucous reaction. Coming off like what The View would sound like if they were a little more willing to put their foot down, a batch of catchy choruses and a charismatic frontman mean that there’s never a dull moment during their set. Pure, unfiltered entertainment. 8/10
As Sound of Guns take the stage and launch into regular set opener ‘Elementary of Youth’, everything seems fine: the chorus soars almost as high as the guitars, frontman Andy Metcalfe is on energetic form, and they pack their usual commanding stage presence. It’s around this time that disaster (potentially) strikes. As they move into new song ‘Sometimes’, vocals vanish entirely from the mix. and proceedings effectively grind to a halt. It’s not immediately clear what the problem is, but whatever it is, it’s a big one. While work is done to fix it, Metcalfe seizes the nearest acoustic guitar and leads the entire room in a deafening singalong to an unplugged version of album track ‘Collisions’. It’s testament to the level of devotion of so many of the crowd tonight that they never miss a beat. What would have been a disaster in lesser hands has instead been used to unite the room, and although there’s ultimately around a ten-minute lull before the action can resume, a suitably furious rendition of ‘Bullets in the Bloodstream’ goes a long way to restoring order.
Although their momentum never quite recovers, and there’s little denying they’ll play better shows than this on the tour, tonight is a prime example of precisely why Sound of Guns are such an exciting prospect. With a debut album full of potential singles, and a batch of equally convincing new material set to feature on next year’s follow up Angels and Enemies, they’re one of the country’s most enthralling live acts, and although technical gremlins rear their ugly heads once again near the end of the set, there’s no arguing with the unifying quality of closing duo ‘Architects’ and ‘Alcatraz’. A valiant, defiant display under the most unfortunate of circumstances, they emerge victorious tonight, and when such a mammoth recovery was in order, that’s no mean feat. 8/10
