Silversun Pickups, O2 Institute 2, Birmingham - review
With the nights taking on a silvery tone and the sun a distant memory, it was into Digbeth we trooped looking for something to pick us up out of the gloom.
What we got were a set of LA alt-rockers called Silversun Pickups (SSPU). They delivered whispers of summer mixed with slamming melodies that reminded us we weren't sunning ourselves on the west coast of America but stood firmly in the home of the British industrial revolution.
Prolific is not a word you can use to describe this band. They have teased us with just the four records since their debut Carnavas a decade ago. And it has been a whole six years since they last entertained a Birmingham crowd. But it was worth the wait.
Another alt-rock/shoegaze act from Paris opened up. Paerish were a mixture of fellow Francs Team Ghost with a hint of Idlewild and a smidgen of Yorkshire lads The Music in some of their funkier numbers.
What started as a potentially stagnant set zipped into life after the first couple of numbers and they made friends along the way with their polite inter-song patter (including one nativity-esque tale about hostel mix-ups) and quietly confident crescendos.
They warmed the already bustling crowed up nicely. True, the well-designed room at the back of this fabulous venue is not ginormous. But it can hold a good number of people and, when the mood is right, carry a party.
It was one of those nights.
By the time SSPU hit Royal We the crowd were pretty much eating out of their hands. Nightlight sounded menacing. And although Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance) was the only song you could actually hear Nikki Monninger's vocals, the track lost its mysticism and subtlety when played live.
They admitted to being nervous. Not so much about playing for us, they were clearly loving life up on the stage. But as frontman Brian Aubert reminded us, the upcoming American presidential election had he and all his fellow countrymen nervous as hell.
As he so eloquently put it, he was terrified of the 'f***ing gross' outcome of Donald Trump triumphing.
But they weren't down for long. A deliciously extended Panic Switch slithered all over our ears like a gargantuan snake sounding our impending doom. And they also had a lot of fun with Lazy Eye too. The screaming outro sounded like a war cry in the tight acoustics.
They returned for the obligatory encore, kicking it off with an emotive rendition of Three Seed. And perhaps this set will best be remembered for closer Kissing Families. It had to be stopped and restarted after Aubert tripped over his own guitar lead, crashed through a cymbal, stumbled over a speaker, backwards, and ended up with his feet firmly in the air.
It summed up the ad-hoc feel of the evening perfectly. You guys rocked SSPU, so please don't leave it another six years before popping back to say hello.
By Leigh Sanders
