LIVE: Le Butcherettes (w/ Big Joanie) – Moth Club, Hackney 02.03.19

Fueled by almighty vocals, hefty guitar riffs and commanding percussion; Le Butcherettes‘ powerful sound ricocheted around the glittered walls of Moth Club last week. Celebrating the release of their fourth album bi/MENTAL, the group delivered a passionate mix of old and new material to their London fans.

Opening the night were DIY garage punks Big Joanie, who were in high spirits having just returned from playing SXSW. The trio’s understated and relatable sounds went down well with the crowd, with ‘Fall Asleep’, ‘Used To Be Friends’ and ‘Down Down’ proving to be the strongest songs in their set.

Cited as their most personal album to date, bi/MENTAL is an ode to Le Butcherettes’ frontwoman Teri Gender Bender’s Mother, and the tracks were as visceral and vulnerable performed live as they are on the record. Teri’s trademark falsetto voice was breath-taking. She flitted between screams, cries and authoritative vocals which matched her erratic but focused performance style. Her band mates – Alejandra Robles Luna (drums), Rikardo Rodríguez-López (guitars) and Marfred Rodríguez-López (bass) – performed with equal amounts of energy; switching between off-kilter sounds and infectious, rolling rhythms with enviable precision.

Teri’s howls and cries cut through the air when she broke the fourth wall and entered the centre of the crowd mid-set and laid on her back. She commanded attention wherever she stood, and spoke fluent Spanish between songs to keep listeners on their toes. As for stand out tracks, it’s difficult to pick just one – but ‘give/UP’ and ‘struggle/STRUGGLE’ stood out among the set list. Both felt like seething, buzzing explorations of grief despite their opposing tempos.

Inspired by the “the death of a living mother”, the duality of life, and the inevitable strife caused by the fluctuation of mental health; Le Butcherettes bi/MENTAL is a cathartic burst of emotive rock designed to clear the cobwebs between your ears – and the band’s live set does exactly that.

Catch Le Butcherettes on their upcoming UK live dates:
Tues 9th July – Boston Music Rooms, London
Weds 10th – Green Door Store, Brighton
Thurs 11th – 2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LIVE: Deep Throat Choir @ Purcell Rooms, Southbank Centre, 02.04.19

Following a breathtaking and truly immersive performance from opening act Mich Cota, Deep Throat Choir take to the stage in the intimate setting of The Purcell Room at The Southbank Centre, and my Tuesday immediately improves by 100%.

Since I first saw Deep Throat Choir here at The Southbank Centre for Women Of The World festival about five years ago, the Luisa Gerstein-lead group have grown in both size and power. What started as a small, acapella singing group accompanied by drums has now developed into a large collective of female-identifying musicians and vocalists, creating an uplifting force of nature in the sound they deliver.

Treating us to a mix of covers and originals – old and new – they start off with a dazzling new number before luscious offerings from their debut album Be OK, including the soaring harmonies of ‘The Wave’ and the exquisite soulful splendour of ‘Hey Mami’. Brightening a wet and windy evening with the matching oranges and pinks of their outfits accompanying the empowering sweeping vocal melodies they create together, they continue to take my breath away with a unique arrangement of one of last year’s innovative collaborations with Simian Mobile Disco.

Filling the intimate venue with their immense vocal majesty, I’m once again reminded that seeing Deep Throat Choir live never fails to inspire and lift the spirits. And, as they close the set with their shimmering rendition of Amy Winehouse’s ‘In My Bed’, I’m left with a euphoric sense of joy; epitomising the exceptional power of women coming together to create, they unite their voices to summon a force that is truly awe-inspiring.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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LIVE: Madison McFerrin @ Jazz Cafe, 08.03.19

With just a loop pedal and a small tablet, hidden behind the flowers looped around her mic stand, Madison McFerrin has got more stage presence than most four-piece bands. She’s got a gift for putting an audience totally at ease, switching up the pace between songs with chatty anecdotes about her school days and occasional self-deprecating humour.

Typically at the start of a gig, there’s a shift in the atmosphere of a room as the artist begins their set and the audience decides whether or not they’re on their side: this audience are instantly on Madison’s. Her songs develop seemingly from scratch, using the loop pedal to build increasingly complex vocal harmonies that, despite their soulful pop melodies, have a jazzy undercurrent of progression and improvisation.

She’s supported by new London artist Rahaven and R&B duo S4U, in an all-female line-up curated by gal-dem for International Women’s Day. Jazz Café usually does a great job of booking a diverse range of acts (as I recently grumbled about on Twitter, they were at the time of writing the only London venue to have booked a non-male act for Piano Day), and this collaboration with gal-dem is a master stroke. Hats off to them, and here’s hoping for more Jazz Café takeovers in the year ahead.

Apropos of not much, I’ll also mention here that it’s apparently one of the few venues in London where it’s still possible to vape indoors (a fact I’ve learned from my boss, Sam, an enthusiastic vaper): the DJ backing one of the support acts, keen to keep things casual, had a quick vape on stage in the middle of a song.

In my old age, I’m increasingly grumpy about weeknight gigs where the headliner doesn’t come on stage til after 9.30: it’s not very punk-rock of me I know, but I love an early bedtime. Madison McFerrin’s jazzy a cappella and witty banter are worth getting the last train home for, and that’s saying something.

Frances Salter
@goodcanarymusic

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LIVE: Our Girl @ The Southbank Centre, 06.03.19

Following last year’s debut album Stranger Today, we’ve been massive fans of the lush, fuzzed out sounds of Our Girl. And so last week, having already supported Bill Ryder Jones in Queen Elizabeth Hall last year, we were excited to catch them live in The Purcell Room, at my favourite place in London – The Southbank Centre – last week.

Immediately captivating the intimate seated crowd, Soph, Josh and Lauren kick off the set with the delicate, twinkling romanticism of ‘I Really Like It’, and that’s me gone – instantly welling up to the fuzzy, scuzzy loveliness flowing into my ears. I should point out I’m feeling a little fragile lately, but I’m sure I’d have been overcome with emotion regardless…

Continuing with the sparkling charm of ‘Being Around’, the trio ooze shades of the other-worldly splendour of Warpaint, whilst retaining their own unique command of all they do, as Lauren’s thrashing beats complement the interplay between Soph and Josh perfectly. Employing a completely immersive energy throughout, Our Girl continue with the atmospheric scuzz and scintillating riffs of ‘Two Life’, before building with a sparkling intensity to the raw, raging climax of ‘Josephine’.

Treating us to songs from both Stranger Today and The Bedroom Record, the band showcase their ability to fluctuate between a gritty fuzz-filled energy and a luscious dreamy haze seamlessly. And, whilst some bands may not have found the prospect of performing to such an intimate, seated crowd appealing, Soph assures us that they’re happy with it: “It’s nice and quiet… I like it. It’s calming, but scary at the same time.”

From the beautifully delicate tenderness of ‘Sub Rosa’ to the swirling energy of ‘In My Head’, or the seething whirlwind of sound flowing from ‘Boring’, Our Girl’s ethereal majesty is a true delight to witness; leaving each one of the seated audience members utterly spellbound.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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