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Live Review; Tribes – The Independent, Sunderland 21.5.2011

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Tribes First Headline Show A Success

Someone somewhere said the world would end on May 21st, it did not. Ironically I was testing my own views, were Tribes as good as I had heard?

So in a Saturday night I find myself in a venue where I had previously see early outings be The Barbs, Chikinki, Kasabian and favourite local haunt for The Futureheads and thanks to a flyer I notice by the sound desk Club Smith are to appear in a few weeks; things are looking good for the Independent, tonight I am in the Little Room, which makes for a compact comfortable space.

First to take to the stage area is local singer songwriter under the moniker of Black Goose, A couple of solid songs in, he informed the scattered audience that he only had three hours notice of this gig. He did more than just fine, I have had a few too many orbits round the sun, which means that hundreds of singers, armed with an acoustic guitar, can just sit or stand and blow my mind – I still have the scars. However Black Goose cut through my cynicism, and generally entertains. I would feel even more comfortable if that was a banged up Telecaster and there was a band, but that’s just me.

Electric Circus hit the floorboards, interesting evidently a four or five piece band is not as common in this northern city, as one might expect. The duo proceed to perform, that is the perfect description; I have never seen a guitarist/vocals and a drummer with such high energy indie rock bleeding into full blooded rock. It does not seem like rocket science, there influences are primarily Muse, with a touch of Biffy, Sonic Youth and soaked trainer in the rock pool of Placebo, I even swear I heard a good few Pavement riffs, but I think the last one – that’s just me. But in just charting their possible influences, I tell only half the story. There, energetic stage prescience – the drummer has played too long for his years, effortously he plays solid rock percussion, then the stands, the rims, the floor and stick against stick to good effect, add to this some good Muse-esque vocals and rhythm and lead riffs, lead me to believe I should know more about this duo.

So to the main event. After impressing with their first few salvos of songs. Lead vocalist, Johnny Lloyd, confirms this is the London band’s first headline gig out of London. After a quick glance around, he continues “I am surprised that anyone is here at all”. There are only about twenty to twenty five people that can say they were there or here as it turns out to be here.

I was hoping that Tribes we add to their first impression, they did that in spades. Solid good indie rock songs that I wish I had heard before, to date only sound cloud constant plays of ‘We Were Children’ have compelled me to the blacked out venue.

The band are on good form, this may only be their first headline show in their own right, but the band, signed to Island Records, had just completed supports slots on the Funeral Party tour, which if I am right only finished 24 fours ago in Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms. So I guess you could say the band are warmed up.

The single ‘We Are Children’ is out in a week or so with the band’s debut album due in August, so tonight we were treated to what I hope is about half of their soon to be released, debut album. I should not have even worried if this band could ‘cut it’ (remember The Las Great single, actually it’s off a good album as well, but no one got past the single), I may be one of the first, to sing Tribes praises, but not the last. As long as the band have the energy to shine, the river of songwriting does not dry up, and, I employ, Island Records make this single a big hit, time to go to Def Con 1 – ‘We are Children’ deserves to be a summer classic, it’s up to you and Tribes to make it happen. 8/10

Words and happy snaps – Steve Janes

The reason why there is so much buzz about Tribes. ‘We Were Children’ Official video
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