Echobelly: Chinnerys, Southend

Britpop icons Echobelly have been on the road recently, and we were there to see them at Chinnerys in Southend. Supported by Keeley, they were playing as part of the burgeoning Indie Cult Club.

*all images courtesy of Harvey Oscar Brown (@oscrvisual)

For bands like Echobelly, it can be tricky to negate the past. Southend was no different, with endless chatter for small pockets of the room. What those people forgot about the past, though, is Sonya Madan is a badass frontwoman who takes no prisoners. Her beguiling stage presence and telling said people “to shut the fuck up” was met in equal gratitude from the loving faithful.

Madan, at times, is utterly mesmeric. Arms aloft, gliding slowly across the room to ‘If The Dogs Don’t Get You, My Sisters Will’ as Glen Johnsson’s guitars trip with a thick psychedelic fog. There is something beautifully theatrical about their partnership. Madan’s vocal is devilish, enticing you into Johnsson’s spell, which can’t be undone.

This dynamic blossomed further on ‘Scream’ and set closer ‘Dark Therapy’, the former providing a real pin-drop moment. The pain and anguish oozing from the howling guitars was palpable. ‘Dark Therapy’s all these years on, still has the same emotive hypnotic power. The sliding guitars and Madan’s reflective and empowering vocals rise and tumble with breathtaking magnificence.

Although the set mainly contained the protracted art of their canon, in ‘In Great Things’ and ‘King of the Kerb’, they have two of the bona fide great singles of the 90s. Instinctive, sexy, and of their time, they transport you to a time when the art-rock scene of 1994 was blossoming in Camden. Images of debauchery at Blow Up club nights and record deals being signed in the Good Mixer rush to the forefront of elder minds becoming carefree once again.

Thirty years on since their debut album, Echobelly show no signs of slowing down creatively. Long may they reign.

Echobelly: Star Shaped Festival, Brixton

Festivals like Star Shaped are often sneered at for being regressive. To those chinless wonders, we direct you to Echobelly’s set at Brixton this past Saturday. Proving the future is unwritten, they littered a set of cult classics with new material and it more than stood up.

‘Hey Hey Hey’ witnessed Sonya Madan at her spell binding best. There was a nonchalance to her performance that exuded confidence and complete control. Key to Madan’s stature on stage is her long time writing partner, guitarist Glenn Johansson. His guitar was shimmering with looping psyche riffs on ‘Hey Hey Hey’ and ‘If the Dogs Don't Get You, My Sisters Will’, he is, undoubtedly, in the form of his life.

Timing can be everything in music, and Saturdays setting was the perfect platform for ‘Faces in the Mirror’. The tale of self-reflection which, is packed with doubt, regret and hope was met with a jaw dropping awe inspired silence, just for a nanosecond before applause. The crowd came for nostalgia and, they got it in the personalised and exquisite of forms.

The powerful message of ‘Faces in the Mirror’ put a fresh spin on ‘I Can’t Imagine The World Without Me’ and ‘Great Things’. Madan’s deeply personal lyrics transcended music in this moment, they didn’t compromise, and, they did great things!

Echobelly – Anarchy and Alchemy

Echobelly will forever be tagged with Britpop, but with albums released in 2001 and 2004, they have already proven they can outlive that bubble. They return with their first single in 10 years after successful acoustic and full band tours in recent times.

With the use of a stand up bass, 'Anarchy and Alchemy' takes on a distinct jazz foundation. Meanwhile, Sonya's vocals add a sense of anxiousness, particularly within the abstract chorus. It's a terrific reflection of the times, the chemical sense that things are going nowhere or often backwards looms larger all the time.

Sonya's chief partner in crime, Glen Johansson, is also on fine form too. His guitar playing stokes the fires and provides the anarchy to Sonya's alchemy on this subdued yet raw single. What a pleasure to have them back once more.

You Can purchase this now via their Pledge Music page here:

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/anarchy-and-alchemy

Listen to the new single and Sonya in conversation with BBC6's Stuart Maconie here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088nkyy