Friday, 18 September 2009

Times New Viking @ Nice n' Sleazy's 17/9/09

Thrashy alternative three piece Times New Viking return to Glasgow for the fourth time, their second headline slot, after audience raising support slots with No Age, Los Campesinos! and Crystal Antlers. The Ohio three-piece is thriving on tonight’s proceedings blasting through a set of minute and half lo-fi gems. Tonight’s show acts as a preview to the unreleased LP, Born Again Revisited, which is on sale tonight but not due for full release until next week.

The view from the side wall of the Sleazy’s basement obscures the vision of the full band, but does elevate somewhat so at least some vision is thrown in with the sonic experience. Still the tight setting the venue provides is ideal for TNV’s lo-fi sound. Despite the visual obstacles it is only guitarist, Jared Phillips who remains out of vision. Keyboardist and dual vocalist, Beth Murphy’s dream fuelled sway remains in full view creating an audience focal point, as she delivers the sweeter melodies coming from under the layers of fuzz the band project.

This fuzzy sound is now an ever present with TNV both live and on record. By others accounts the band used to hone a much cleaner sound, but their current output cannot be argued with on its quality alone.

The most vocally active member of the band comes in vocalist and drummer, Adam Elliott who throws chat at the crowd through out the set, some of which goes over the crowd’s head, some is amusing, most is about drugs. Elliott introduces a large amount of songs with reference to drugs: ‘this song is not about drugs’, ‘this song is about drugs’ and ‘this song is about taking drugs in a museum with your girlfriend’. Still every bit of the drummers stage banter is treated with warmth. Finishing the set, Elliott announces ‘we love your city’, a sentiment the crowd tonight would happily throw back on the band that have treated them with a set as superb as it is raw.

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