Monday, February 3, 2020

NUSTOCK 2 - NUSTOCK STRIKES BACK

On the 30th of January Nustock struck back and bought us their second event which should've be called 'Nustock 2 electric boogaloo' in my opinion, but aside from that, the line up looked promising and if this show was half as good as the last one, I knew it was definitely going to be a good night.

As with all of my event reviews I didn't catch many song titles, so each song will be called, 'next song'.


Rhianna Keane

'Rhianna Keane brings an RnB, neo-soul and pop approach to her catchy melodies combined with her meaningful lyrics to create a chilled and vibe atmosphere'


(photo credit - @brandpphotography)

Rhianna Keane kicked off the night creating a chilled atmosphere with her smooth RnB style. Before she even started singing she gave off pop star vibes with her gorgeous sparkly outfit and a confident flair that made the stage her own. The first song she performed, 'Coffee', bought a jazzy, soul like sound with her powerful vocals that blew me away from the outset. 

The band behind Keane were all super clean and the tones of the guitars were so perfect for the genre of music. 
Everything works so well together, I wasn't expecting the vocal harmonies but they added this beautiful deep but subtle layer underneath her vocals that complimented the songs so beautifully. 
Throughout the set there were a couple of really pretty guitar solo's that were so smooth, melt worthy. The bass was so strong across the songs, I don't know how everything sounded so powerful but so relaxing at the same time, it's all so impressive.

The stand out song of the set was her first single 'Fool' and I love this song. I already knew I loved this song since she released it last year but it sounded that much better live on stage, I've been singing it non-stop for the past 2 days. This song is super sexy, the guitar tone was so smooth and I have no shame in admitting I audibly moaned during the bridge, it sounded so good! I literally saw the whole crowd just melt at how perfect the mix of powerful vocals and soul-y pop instrumental sounded. The sexiness is further amplified by how gorgeous everyone standing on the stage is, how is it fair that attractive people can be so talented.

Keane knows her genre and my god does it work well, 
everything sounded perfect and I was literally blown away, I need to see her perform again ASAP. Her music is the perfect 'date night' soundtrack, if you want a good night then I'd definitely recommend listening to her upcoming EP 'Blooming' which will be out soon. Everyone needs to get on this because Rhianna is a superstar in the making. 


Bermuda 

'BermudaOfficial have had an eventful first year as a band. From supporting names such as Big Country, to releasing two singles that were met with appraisal. Taking inspiration from bands such as Highly Suspect and Nothing But Thieves, they’ve managed to combine the two sounds to create their own. 2020 holds big things for Bermuda, including several more releases and bigger gigs than ever before.'


(photo credit - @brandpphotography)

Bermuda started their set with Conor screaming "Nustock, are you ready?" which fired up the crowd and started this incredible exchange of energy between the band and the audience. The moaning vocals created an angsty kinda vibe that was added to by the powerful drums that the crowd was bobbing along to. The light show that accompanied Bermuda fucked me up a little, the lights and sound were a big contrast to the smooth, relaxing sounds of Rhianna Keane.  The sound would benefit from a second guitar, the bass is so deep (which I love) and the guitar is a whole lot higher playing the melody. If you added in something between the two, everything would sound rounder and more full. The bass and guitar solo's didn't seem out of place which I think is hard to accomplish as many bands like to just throw them in to show off but Bermuda made it work well.
Towards the end of their set, the band were sweating so much that the lights were reflecting off the shine of their faces, they were giving their all and it showed. 


Atticomatic

'Four party crashers arrive with nothing but a Naive soul and a misjudged talent for dancing. High off of gallons of lactose free milk and prawn toast we venture off into the sunset.'


(photo credit - @brandpphotography)

Right off the bat the synth sounded so good giving a very different feel from both the previous bands.  The vocalist sounds so much Declan Mckenna which threw me back to college when I was obsessed with him, this similarity was only emphasised by the similarity in both their genres. I don't know what genre you could call these guys but it's almost indie/psychedelic/synth like. The evening was made up of a really weird genre mix, it was kind of nice to have some variation but it was maybe a bit too much.

In the third song, where the guitarist isn't playing, the instrumental still sounds full because of the beautiful layering of vocals. All of their voices work so well alongside each other and they're all clearly incredibly talented musicians.

The next song 'Coconut' was my favourite from AtticOmatic, the drummer vocals were stunning throughout this song especially. They change so cleanly between the heavy to relaxing parts creating a contrasting sound that was pulled off so well by the sudden clean changes, it was crazy how much the guitar tone changed the feel of the chorus.

At the end of their set, AtticOmatic used a really interesting sample throughout the chorus which added a different aspect that created a super unique layer into their music. The instruments all have great tonality and I think this is what really pulls this band over the line, they're amazing at writing and performing and they sound incredibly professional. Their set actually made me excited while listening to it which isn't easy to do because I'm super judgemental. 


The Pines 

'We are the pines, a Birmingham based 4 piece atmospheric indie band with sing-along worthy songs and the presents of 4 people that love what they are doing and wants to strive for the best, which is showcased through our gigs and music.'


(photo credit - @brandpphotography)

For some reason I didn't quite get, The Pines were introduced by some guy dressed as Ali g. I didn't hate it I just wasn't drunk enough to laugh but the rest of the crowd loved these guys. The whole set, no-one stopped dancing for a second. The Pines make great up-beat indie music that's perfect to dance to with your mates and just have a good time. The band gave off so much infectious energy making it impossible to stand still. 

I felt like I was watching 'Catfish and The Bottlemen', not just because the music sounds so much like them but because it features the same witty lyricism that is maybe the only part of 'indie' music that I enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed The Pines set but indie music isn't my cup of tea as they say, I can appreciate the solid song writing and the great dance inducing sound but it's just not my thing. If Oasis made music in 2020 this is what it would sound like. The crowd loved it but I don't like Oasis.

Halfway through The Pines set I was pulled away from note taking to dance and then I seemed to completely forget I was reviewing the evening and just danced away. If you want to have a good night of dancing and hearing music so loud you can't possibly worry about any looming Uni deadlines, then these guys are perfect. 

I had a really great night but I knew that I would before I even got to the venue, Nustock 2 showed that the first event wasn't a one off and that future Nustock events are going to be the perfect night out for everyone. 


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