By DJ Astrocreep
A rarity for me of late, a gig on (almost) home turf, as I travel across the Mersey to visit Future Yard for the first time, with an evening of more electronic delights in store. LA based electro act Drab Majesty are in town, with American/Italian cold wave supergroup Nuovo Testamento in support. On arrival, I find I have actually been to the venue before, having DJed at it in one of its previous incarnations, and make my way with a seat for the live room in the back.
Nuovo Testamento are a complete unknown to me as they take to the stage but very quickly leave a great impression. With nusical roots firmly in the alternative electronic sounds of the 80s, such as Depeche Mode, Dead or Alive and their ilk, the cold wave supergroup are a very likeable and musically proficient act.
Playing as a three piece, vocalist Chelsey Crowley is a dynamo, dancing away non-stop at the front of the stage whilst showing a good range of vocals. The set is tight, though Crowley shows a level of unease at the interactions between songs (which she also admits to), which si the inly slight negative, though in the interactions we do get, she comes across as a very charming character.
Their 40 minute set flies by without even noticing the time, which is a testament to how entranced we all were, with some dancing away pretty much from the off. A very good opening act.
Drab Majesty take to the stage and I’m pleased to see that the crowd has grown, becoming a quite respectable level, especially given it’s a cold Wednesday night in Birkenhead!
They are as much on form as the previous time I caught them, in Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, on their tour for the first album and it’s good to hear they are continuing so well in the same vein. The crowd around me are warm and appreciative, which is a welcome respite from the cold outside and shows why they are happy to play in a satellite town rather than the hub of Liverpool just across the Mersey.
The vocal harmonies are still absolutely dreamy and it’s good that the talented duo are still both taking fairly equal turns to take lead and to harmonize, adding good live layers to some quality alternative sounding electronic music. The sound system at the venue is superb, too, helping accentuate some of the more nuanced parts of their sound. While generally more downbeat and a slower pace than their support, that shoegaze approach more prevalent in their newer work fits well with their earlier, especially in the live setting and the tightness of their set is actually at contrast to just how easy they are making it sound.
It’s a surprise to hear fan favourite ‘Oxytocin’ only a third into the set, though it’s the first one to get people really dancing away and warmed back up after the 40 minute interval. ‘Ellipsis’ is also an absolute stand out of the night, coming right after ‘Oxytocin’, making for a strong mid point of the set, before the likes of ’39 By Design’ ring out around the room. With a 12 song setlist, we get around an hour of top quality electronic sounds, making for a great evening of live music.
The ÜK leg of the tour concluded at Chalk in Brighton tonight (Thursday 8 February).
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