We see things they'll never see
No Rest For The Spacemen: Fickle Pickle, Southend
We review Watford band No Rest For The Spacemen’s live show in Southend at the Fickle Pickle.
Image Credit: Indie Cult Club
Watford outfit No Rest for the Spacemen made their Indie Cult Club debut last week at the Fickle Pickle.
‘Music Till I Die’ was the kind of indie-psyche number that’s destined to remain a set opener for decades. Between the John Squire-esque hooks and the funked-up basslines, they conjured the kind of magic that has the Death Star’s tractor beam power!
Lead guitarist Danny is a show-stealing performer. His elaborate flourishes and solos on ‘Goodbye Jane’ and the warped debauchery of ‘MASH’ led the band's charge to announce themselves. Cutting through the mayhem was frontman Charlie. His deep drawl on ‘MASH’ leans into the cool of Jonathan Richman, whilst on ‘Somebody Like You’ he beds in between the Baxter Dury and Ian Broudie to deliver great pop sensibilities.
On ‘Goodbye Jane’, these strengths converged, hinting at UK rock ’n’ roll’s next great partnership. They pushed and pulled against each other with effortless chemistry, each recognising the other’s talent and knowing exactly when to step aside.
In recent years, The Lilacs and The K’s have kicked open the doors for this kind of ecstatic indie guitar music, and on this showing, No Rest for the Spacemen look a dead cert to knock it off its hinges.
Lois Leon: Fickle Pickle, Southend
A live review of Southend band Lois Leon at The Fickle Pickle.
Image Credit: Indie Cult Club
Southend’s Lois Leon opened the third instalment of Indie Cult Club’s Teenage Kicks at the Fickle Pickle in Southend last week.
In April, we caught them at the same venue, and there was an effortless quality to their brand of slacker-rock-meets-shoegaze playing. Fast forward two months, and they came armed with two new songs and a newfound abrasiveness.
Their languid style remained, but the new songs had an eagerness and a directness to step forward. A confidence percolated every toiling guitar riff and every sultry vocal delivery. This is a band in the ascendancy.
Their single ‘Stuck’ felt grander, more cinematic. Subtle, but adventurous, it grows into the room as only a great indie movie can. Frontwoman Lois’ delivery charts a course from innocence to torture, and it’s nothing short of intoxicating.
If Losi Leon’s previous appearance at the Fickle Pickle hinted at potential, this set felt like proof of it. With sharper edges, stronger songs and a growing sense of purpose, they left little doubt that bigger stages await.