Image: c-heads.com
To my regret I missed the support act, The 1975. The Manchester band had played in Berlin before during the introducing showcase in January and more recently as support for Two Door Cinema Club where they proved that their music is easily suited for large audiences as well as smaller ones. My friend who was there earlier than me told me that the place was already filled up during The 1975′s set which was about half an hour long. You know by now how much I’m in love with this band and it won’t be long before they’re back for a proper headliner tour. Their friend at merch told me there will be a show at Bi Nuu in October once the album is out.
The 1975 and Swim Deep are equally hyped by the british media at the moment and are competing for the title “next big thing”. It was Swim Deep’s first ever gig in Berlin and I had no idea what to expect. With a couple of singles out and an album set for release later this year the set was expectedly short. They kicked off with a yet unreleased song and went straight on to Honey, which got a few people moving in the front rows. A few more new ones followed, all of which sounded decent but not particularly memorable. The played the rest of their singles (Beach Justice, The Sea and She Changes The Weather) and closed the set with King City, which was their first release and probably their best song to date.
The performance was solid but not particularly energetic. Particularly the keyboarder looked rather bored (or high?) most of the time. The drums sounded like they were coming out of a drum machine because I believe that’s what they use for their records. Or maybe it’s just my impression because the use the same beat in every song. They only did a bit of playing around during King City which made things a bit more interesting.
Swim Deep seemed really unexperienced as a live band but they’ll have enough time to adapt during all that touring that is to follow the hype of their debut album. Other than King City, however, I find none of their songs particularly interesting or memorable. Their sound, which is being hailed as a 90s revival, copies that of SXSW bands from 2011, namely Yuck and Smith Westerns, rather than that of Nirvana or The Stones Roses (as claims The Guardian). It is easy to tell that their music is made for commercial appeal (which the NME seems to love) and it will please all those hipsters who dress like them. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just not very special. After all, the real difference between a great band and a hyped band is press coverage.
Setlist:
(Unknown)
Honey
Make My Sun Shine
Red Lips I Know
Beach Justice
The Sea
Stray
She Changes The Weather
King City
