Gig reviews for November 2011

I am in Love, 25th November

Kevin Gaughan reports.

Fairly quiet, it was, upstairs at Firebug tonight, most people concentrating on getting a few pints in before the headlining act, I am in Love, appear.

First up tonight was Shortwave Fade, a four-piece synth-based indie outfit from Leicester, having been around for a few years, they are an accomplished band.

Hitting the stage with only a few punters in the audience, their electronic sound had touches of New Order - this was the first thought that came my way. Very nice, too, Chris Holloway on vocals has a great voice, quite high pitched and very smooth, definitely in the forefront and never lost within the rest of the band and that wonderful synth. sound.

Shortwave Fade © Kevin Gaughan

They played a good mix of their own generally medium paced music and Chris did a great job of keeping the crowd entertained between songs with his humorous remarks and funny little ditties, it's just a shame there weren't more people to appreciate them.

Shortwave Fade on Facebook.

The next band on the bill were Silent Devices, another established four-piece band from Leicester. These guys are no stranger to the BBC, having featured on the local BBC radio channels as well as BBC Radio 6's 'Introducing...' with Tom Robinson.

Silent Devices © Kevin Gaughan

Their style tended to be mellow, with oodles of lovely synth., and the deep, sultry vocals were pleasant on the ear and almost hypnotic at times. It was a full-bodied, big sound demanding your full attention to appreciate the electronic soundscape revealing itself before you.

Fortunately the crowd had started to build up at this point and most were appreciating the delicate qualities of this band.

Silent Devices' web site.

Last on for the night were I am in Love, a four-piece from Leicester with a notable heritage. Formerly Autohype and now living in London, with the backing of a European record label, they are kept busy with European and UK tours.

I am in Love © Kevin Gaughan

A nice sized audience by this time, as expected, this was the band, the moment, everyone had been waiting for. Upstairs at Firebug came alive when these guys hit the stage, it sizzled, infact.

Again, oodles of lovely synth, this time backed up with oodles of lovely guitar, too, and an accomplished, more commercial, sound.

I am in Love have a unique sound, largely because Seb, on lead vocals, makes good use of his falsetto range (the higher frequency part of his voice). This results in a very unique sound but if mastered well, it can create another dimension to the songs. There is no doubt I am in Love have perfected the use of Seb's voice and it is accompanied perfectly by the rest of the band..

I am in Love © Kevin Gaughan

Drums - these guys love their drums! - it's great to watch as Seb has his own drum on stage and often gives it a good wallop. At one point, all four of them were whacking their own drums, but it works well with the music, not just whacking them for whacking's sake! - but building up to a fantastic climax.

At the tail end of a grueling UK tour, these guys still sparkled. The complex sound produced by the partnership of three sets of keyboards and one guitar intertwined between them culminating in a fantastically well produced, full bodied sound.

Faster tempo than the other bands tonight and much more commercially sounding, which is a good thing, as they have instant appeal that lingers on your synth senses as the melodies go round in your head days later due to the catchy nature of them.

A great stage show too, these guys are always entertaining to watch obviously loving being up on the stage and getting in to the songs. With Seb going walkabout several times into the crowd using various tables as platforms to stand on while singing his heart out.

A truly fantastic performance from I am in Love, you can see them on December the 18th at the White Noise Christmas music festival at Firebug before they embark on another German tour between Christmas and new year!

You can download the song from their new EP, Call me an Animal, here.

Click here, here, here or here to see I am in Love perform at the gig.

I am in Love on Facebook.