Tonight, The Lanes bowling alley and venue was like foggy London in 1950s American movies having been pumped with enough smoke to fill all the pop videos of the 1980s. Both headliners YAANG from Manchester and their support, London’s Hot Face seemed to be hell bent on trying to blow the speaker cones of the in-house PA. The event was being promoted by Bristol’s Gravy Train and BLG Promotions.
I’m not sure if Hot Face feared the world was coming to an end from an impending comet impact or The Rapture, but they played like time was running out for humanity and everyone at the gig had to hear their entire set before disaster strikes. Often when you see a band in the early part of their career they haven’t given much thought to stagecraft and stumble through live shows without thinking of how the audience perceives them. No so with Hot Face who came out of their corner swinging and, with no announcements or chit-chat, ripped through their set. Just as one song came screaming to an end drummer Sam Catchpole would count in, or just pound out, the next song’s opening. This applause-averse style of playing is refreshing and makes sense of their mash-up of styles; it’s as if the band have ADHD and can’t quite settle on whether they are psych, blues, rock, indie or funk so have decided “fuck it, let’s throw it all into the pot and see what happens”.
The concentrated energy of the band coupled with their pell-mell performance was like going on a date with Alton Towers, hyped up on sugar and on the verge of throwing up before shouting “let’s go again”. If Hot Face can sustain this level of energy then the static crackle of their shows is going to have so many fans sticking to them. Sadly they have nothing up on their Bandcamp page but you can hear the songs ‘dura dura’ and ’17 Day Migraine’ on streaming platforms including Spotify.
Hot Face are Sam Catchpole on drums, George Cannell on bass and James Bates on guitar and vocals
Hot Face: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
YAANG* took to the stage in a swagger of gas station and 70’s chic and owned it from the opening electronic swell of ‘Comfort’. It’s a confident band that can open a set with one of their strongest numbers; a slow build with Ben White’s driving bass, 4/4 thud of drum machine, low-low vocals to start, climbing to urgent highs, and an unshowy but perfectly placed 3-chord riff. The drum samples bring a motorik drive and solid core for the band to hang off as they mix a wall of swirling psychedelia. As with Hot Face the guitar brings so much light and shade to their set and Oliver Duffy has an arsenal of styles to bring tuneful riffs, full-fuzz, and even the funk attack of the middle section of ‘Speed McQueen’.
There’s something theatrical about their performance and I am hugely impressed by any band who give stadium energy in a small venue. It’s driven by the fully committed stage presence of Davey Moore on vocals and electronics who sang and screamed and hyped up the audience while throwing shapes and going from zipped up adidas to topless in under 40 minutes. I can see – and hope for – a future where YAANG are huge enough to write, record and tour a full-on rock opera or electronic/organic concept album.
YAANG’s EP No is one to play loud; a party-starting set of songs that announces to anyone listening that this is a band to keep a close eye on. See them live if you can and cue up your bragging rights for having seen them before they’re playing the bigger stages at Glastonbury.
YAANG are Davey Moore on vocals/electronics, Oliver Duffy on guitar and vocals and Ben White on bass.
YAANG setlist: Comfort / Bossa / War Never Changes / Billy / Speed McQueen / Airport Barfight / ‘Til Morning Light / Horsepower Is God
YAANG: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube
*Note to aspiring bands: choosing an unusual name or spelling makes you search engine friendly. Calling yourself something wry like Support Act or Haemorrhoids is only going to confound people trying to find you online.
Review by Paul F Cook
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