LIVE: Midwife – Cafe Oto, London 18.10.22

“I have a few more songs to play before I release you from this sauna,” joked Madeline Johnston aka Midwife to her sold out crowd at East London’s Cafe Oto on Tuesday night. Armed with her guitar, a pedal board, headphones and her customised telephone mic, she delivered a disarming collection of shiver-inducing sounds for her London live debut, the full extent of which were felt despite the high temperature of the room.

Opening with the beautifully bleak ‘Colorado’ which set the tone for the rest of the gig, Midwife’s evocative, deceptively simple lyrical motifs and guitar loops were entirely hypnotic. Her congregation of listeners were attentive to her considered sounds from the moment she took to the stage, to the point where the noise of ice clinking in a glass felt amplified to the volume of a cymbal smash. Watching the New Mexico-based musician’s considered performance felt like a privileged form of voyeurism.

Fans were granted permission to enter her dream-like melancholy world, in which introverted tendencies and unrequited yearnings blur and clash with the urgent desire to find connection and understanding. Musing into her telephone mic with her soft vocals, it felt like Midwife was in dialogue with an unknown person at the end of the line, the distance between them simultaneously expanded and minimised as she sang into the receiver in front of a room of silent strangers.

Whilst it’s difficult to pick set highlights, tracks from her 2020 album Forever seemed to resonate strongly with the crowd. The tender nature of ‘Language’, the brooding, murky tones of ‘S.W.I.M.’ and the cutting ‘2018’ all left their mark, as well as the poignant opening track on her most recent record Luminol, ‘God Is a Cop’. Pausing to take a picture before her final song – the ambient ‘Sickworld’ –  Midwife left her listeners on a pensive, transient note, encapsulated in the lyric: “I’m not here to stay / I’m just passing through”, before breaking the spell by moving to the merch stand to sell t-shirts and vinyl.

Midwife’s London debut was an understated, intensely memorable affair, heightened by the crowd’s willingness to provide her with their undivided, and much deserved attention.

Follow Midwife on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Cam Smith

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: WOLFS – ‘Take Me On’

An antagonistic anthem fuelled by driving beats and grungy guitar riffs, London-based duo WOLFS have shared their latest single ‘Take Me On’. Inspired by the need to reject the frustrating misconceptions that others often project on to us, the track is a riotous call to arms, full of cathartic vocals and defiant lyrics, urging listeners to persevere in the face of adversity,

Formed of drummer Rhi, and guitarist and vocalist Hannah, WOLFS were initially a four piece who formed via the Gumtree website. Just a few days before the band were set to record their first EP however, two of the members left, so Rhi and Hannah continued as a two-piece and have been making music together ever since. Despite living over one hundred miles apart for the first few years, the pair somehow made the band work, and both eventually moved to London after cutting their teeth on the Oxford and Reading live music scenes.

This resilient beginning has clearly shaped the duo’s sound and tenacious attitude to songwriting, something which their current single ‘Take Me On’ is brimming with. “‘Take Me On’ is a song that channels the frustrations of sexism and the people who underestimate you, which I think everyone can relate to in some way,” the band explain. The track is accompanied by a monochrome video, filmed at Glasshouse Studios in Oxford, which shows the pair performing live in the studio.

Watch the video for ‘Take Me On’ below.

Follow WOLFS on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Wise Up – ‘Conjure The Feeling’

Fueled by their desire to make music that’s fun to play and that connects with their listeners, Dublin-based trio Wise Up have shared their debut single ‘Conjure The Feeling’. Full of grungy riffs, snaking bass lines and clear vocals, the track is an infectious offering of alternative noise, encouraging listeners to “embrace it all”, let go and stop sweating the small stuff.

Formed of Aoife from Dublin on drums, Garry from Cork on guitar and vocals, and Courtney from Canada on vocals and bass, Wise Up have been jamming and recording together since March 2022. After performing together at Gary & Courtney’s wedding reception, the trio decided to take Wise Up’s sound out into the “dodgy clubs” of Ireland, impressing their crowds of “drunk lads who who stay out late on a Wednesday night.”

Citing Pixies, Pavement, Yard Act, Chastity Belt, Courtney Barnett and Big Thief as their main musical influences, the band are motivated by the need to cut loose and enjoy the songs they’re performing, rather than agonising over being cool or counting the number of heads in the room. Wise Up are busy working on new recordings at Camelot Studios in Dublin, and will be booking more gigs around the city in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for more info from them soon.

Listen to ‘Conjure The Feeling’ below.

 

Follow Wise Up on Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: @paulmaxwellphotography

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Projector – ‘NON’

A gritty, urgent blend of candid vocals and heavy riffs that tackle the nihilistic frustrations surrounding the way we are perceived, Brighton-based trio Projector have shared their latest single, ‘NON’. Following on from their previous release ‘Hell In My Head’, the band have unleashed another biting offering that tackles the weight of misconception via brooding, swirling sounds and an anthemic chorus.

“’NON’ is a song about expectation, feeling miss-sold as a good person, pulled in two directions and getting nowhere,” explains vocalist and guitarist Edward Ensbury. Recorded, produced, and mixed by the band themselves, ‘NON’ is a complete nosedive into Projector’s alternative sound, commanded by the charged percussion of drummer Cal Marinho.

The new single is also accompanied by a video, shot, directed by and starring the band. Despite the playful nature of the visuals, vocalist and bassist Lucy Sheehan explains that there’s a punk practicality behind the video’s conception: “I always loved those bands who were like a punk collective, finding ways to do everything themselves. The industry isn’t a friendly place for musicians financially – costs are going up and our fees and revenues are going down – so bands are going DIY again.”

After recently returning from a European tour with Canadian alt-rockers Cleopatrick, Projector are now playing headline shows across the UK, including London’s Moth Club on 7th October.

Watch the video for ‘NON’ below.

Follow Projector on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Projector UK Tour Dates 2022
5th Oct – Bodega, Nottingham
6th Oct – Heartbreakers, Southampton
7th Oct – Moth Club, London
8th Oct – The Crypt, Hastings

Photo credit: Libby Malandrone

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment