The Tubs invoke the nostalgia of R.E.M. and the Smiths, which results in a crowd of half fifty-year-olds – half twenty something indie-heads. They are such an excellent band live that, no matter your age, you will always feel the jangle bangers.
The Tubs is the brainchild of Owen Williams. His lyrics are wry stories about grief, love, and douchebags. His commentary comes subtly from his comedy with Alexis Petridis rightly calling him ‘Indie Rock’s Larry David‘. It is him that makes the Tubs more than a (truly excellent) Johnny Marr “rip-off band.” So, it is a surprise to find out that the frontman does little of the talking. Instead, it all comes from the massive personality of their drummer, Taylor.
Taylor Stewart is also the frontman of the narcissistically named punk band, The TSG (Taylor Stewart Group). He has a knack for making things about him but this is a good thing because he is very funny. The thing that enables him to be so chatty is the long periods when the band has to tune. In these periods, he chats about how this is his homecoming gig, which is clearly undermined by his blatantly Scottish accent. He complained about how they didn’t win the Welsh music prize then he quickly apologizes for the comment as he would quite like to be considered for it next year. His bubbly wit and also excellent drums really make a Tubs’ gigs fun.
Another fantastic part of the line-up is guitarist Dan Lucas. His playing is the best part of the new album Hard Life with his Marr inspired riffs and live he rocked too.
The new record has only been out for two weeks so it hasn’t had the time to build the resounding emotional impact that their previous album Cotton Crown has had with fans. Still, the songs are great and deserve to be heard live. There are crowd pleasing bangers on the new album. Who’s Gonna Love You Now and Stoop To Me are so jangly and danceable. Everyone already knew the words. Even songs that sound a bit shit on record like the repetitive Chain Reaction or the unforgiving One More Day are some of the most danceable songs live. I let go and let myself feel the tunes.
They end the gig with a gnarly, janglified version of Metallica’s Fade To Black. A great ballad to end a fun show. It was a wonderful gig and I recommend catching them on their tour over the next couple of weeks!
You can check out other events at Clwb Ifor Bach here.
The Tubs: Instagram | Bandcamp
Pictures by bedford_mathew
Article by Laurie Green. You can contact me via lauriegreen2005@outlook.com
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