At The King's Cross Scala, THE EARLIES are playing their biggest show to date. Made up of both Lancashire and Texas-based personnel, this naturally understated bunch resemble a mix of soundcheck techs with the odd cowboy hat thrown in for good measure to throw a further spanner in the works. Live, they have swelled to twelve members, all on hand to deliver the sound of the excellent “These Were The Earlies” new album.
The shudderingly beautiful “Bring It Back Again” starts the set and you soon get to realize what these talented musicians bring to their multitude of sound in this potent mix of Yo La Tengo put on super spin wash.
Lead singer Brandon Carr excels on “Song For #3” which is so sunny it feels like a Beach Boy has smiled upon it. “How long will we sing this song, how long, will this story run. how long will this chorus carry on,” goes the refrain. Tonight, we'd love it to continue indefinitely.
“Wayward Song” with its Mercury Rev-meet-Polyphonic-Spree melodies is up next. Then there's the rising grandeur of “Slow Man's Dream.” Here, the pace changes in what turns out to be dreamily textured electronica, with all the exotic layering falling impeccably into place.
Christian Madden pleads with the crowd to go out and buy new single "Morning Wonder" as its' appearance in the Top 50 would apparently validate the worth of his music with his Cliff Richard-adoring mother. Not that any such validation is necessary when the song itself spills out of the apeakers. “Morning Wonder” is all Lemon Jelly electro buzz and dappled psych-pop mantra melding into the “take me home” chorus and expressive outbursts of dusky Beta Band-esque sampling. The barrage melts down beautifully and tonight we’re treated to all extended live reworked wanderlust versions which never outstay its' welcome.
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Even having the confidence for a new tune. Introducing it tremulously with “this is our new song I hope the record company like it, we all like it" they proudly present "The Devil's Country." It is a triumphant electric trumpet-led thing as the sound takes on a weird Flaming Lips-on-safari quality and “Dead Birds”, which follows, is more of a sombre-sided assault on the same band's oeuvre. Still, in The Earlies shape-shifting world, too many comparisons can be odious, so let's not dwell here for long.
Having produced a critical acclaim debut album that live also bears fruit, The Earlies are gentle stars shimmering in the current pop constellation and the impressive turnout tonight suggests 'cracking' London is not something they need worry about from now on.
The Earlies should be lauded for their exceptional, gimmick-free pop psychedelia approach.It's atmospheric electric rock/electronica that's happily difficult to pigeonhole and all the better for that. Indeed, you could say Earlie nights were never meant to be so enjoyable.
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