Rude Records are not an household name amongst music fans but this latest tour made up of the acts they represent does a great job introducing admittedly limited audiences to what they have to offer. Delaire the Liar, Modern Era and Oakman are just three of the many bands they represent and based on these sets, they have a lot to offer the average alternative music fan.
Oakman went on first and they were a much more lighthearted and fun band, very much in the same vein as modern Paramore but with a shoegaze/Dream pop bent. There are a number of moments of fiddling with effects pedals to create psychedelic moments of atmospheric noise which is sometimes better than actual songs, there’s less pressure when you’re just making sound and in a live environment it’s easy to get lost in it.
Oakman were a very easy going band and didn’t do the typical Satan’s Hollow thing of telling people to move closer to the stage, they knew their set was casual and people prefered the ability to enjoy their music however they felt most comfortable and that seemed to put people at ease.
One of the few songs I got the title of was Hope, a big sprawling track that had beautiful clean tones and Marie’s vocals had power despite this being a slower song. This type of music is based largely on the ability to be emotive and her performance was perfect at conveying difficult emotions, much like the majority of bands on the bill.
Modern Error were next and they had a particularly cursed set, their electronics weren’t present and there were significant delays. Luckily the show had a particularly casual vibe than shows at other venues. The appeal of a smaller show is that you feel much more of a connection to the artists that you wouldn’t in a larger venue so you’re much more forgiving when delays happen.
The short set they did play was full of energy and strobe lighting that invoked Enter Shikari at times, you could tell there were still some problems during the set but they pushed on like consummate professionals. Despite only playing half a set, it was still full of anthemic and emotional tracks like Separation Scars and the synth heavy Error of the World.
Delaire the Liar was next and they were very different from everything that had come before them. They had this darker pop punk energy (I’m sure you could call that emo), but there was still a lot of bright vibrant musicianship and pageantry, even down to vocalist, Ffin Colley dressing like Freddie Mercury. Perhaps this was unintentional but it was still a nice touch.
The dual vocal attack from Ffin and Em Lodge who also played bass featured some really memorable harmony lines and Ffin’s vocals are eerily similar to Rody Walker from Protest the Hero, they have that ultra high attack without being ear piercing or one note. There’s a lot of dynamic approaches in their performances and I’d hope to see more of them in the future, perhaps attached to a bigger tour. Delaire the Liar are a younger band but they have the potential to develop their sound and grow into something unique, they clearly understand where the music they love comes from but it’s up to them to figure out where its going once the older bands wander off into the sunset and therein lies the most important part of supporting your scene.
The show was never especially full but there were so many people that were clearly intense fans and to a smaller band, that’s everything. It’s so important in this digital age to support your favourite bands in person and go out searching for new music, especially if you’re a younger person. Your New favourite band could be playing in a dive bar near you but you’ll never know if you don’t go.
Photos by Izzy Clayton
Words by Dale Unsworth
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