School of Seven Bells (Live Review)

The Ruby Lounge, Manchester UK – 19.07.10
(with guests: The Steals)

Opening with the ethereal ‘Half Asleep’ from highly acclaimed 2008 album ‘Alpinisms’, I wondered whether School Of Seven Bells would live up to expectations of being an inspiring mix of Bat For Lashes and Californian psych-rock.

The Deheza sisters’ Clannad style harmonies started with a slightly weak vocal, and sadly the following three songs (from this year’s album ‘Disconnect From Desire’) sounded very much the same. Obviously the new album had taken a slightly different direction to the first, with some songs having much dancier rhythm than earlier writings.

The set sounded all in all more mainstream than expected, and lacked ingenuity in guitar parts and keys. It could have gone either way after listening to beautifully recorded tracks – I’d presumed they’d be radio edits and the band would be more creative live. Some sampled beats and intros on new songs like ‘Dial’ could have fooled you into thinking an Orbital track was about to kick in.

The 11minute encore song ‘Sempiternal’ (‘Alpinisms’) was the best of the evening, and not because it was the last. Swooshing synth sounds and plodding bass samples showed the band’s technical consistency, but there didn’t still seem to be quite enough experimentation for the style of music they’d undertaken.

Ben Curtis (ex-Secret Machines) failed to bring enough alternative atmospheric rock influences to this project, it seemed a little too “we’re cute and quirky and a bit weird” but not weird enough to push any boundaries and sound anything other than middle-of-the-road floaty pop with a minimal twist.

But if that’s what you like, along with the crowd of middle-aged fellas and wanna-be industry types who’d been told to see the latest thing, then its right up your street. If you’re a bit more adventurous, check out support act ‘The Steals’, hailing from Hebden Bridge, hippy central of the North, they could certainly teach the New Yorkers a thing or two.

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