Narc. Magazine Online
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Lee Hammond immerses himself in the new genre-bending experimental record by Black Country, New Road in the live setting at The Glasshouse
Image by Stephen Gill
Tonight, Brighton band, The New Eves feel like the perfect support for Black Country, New Road’s current lineup. Embodying the multi-instrumental genre-defying sound that Black Country, New Road continue to hone, The New Eves do a rather excellent job of putting their own spin on the style. Akin to The Last Dinner Party in their look, and to some extent their sound, it’s an eclectic opening to the evening.
Black Country, New Road effortlessly continue in their own inimitable style and tonight sees them playing Forever Howlong in almost its entirety. Flitting between instruments almost as easily as they disregard genre, the six piece succeed in showing how versatile they are.
Tonight sees them bring the excitement of the album to life, the way these songs are crafted lend themselves to being played live, with Happy Birthday and Two Horses thrillingly outdo their original studio sound. The three frontwomen hold the stage with such delicate and beautiful harmonies as their set twists through the excellent album. There are brief departures from Forever Howlong, with a new version of Dancers which sounds incredible. The set undulates through bombast and carnivalesque brilliance whilst tempering it with grace and light, Nancy Tries to Take the Night being the perfect example of this. However, Besties and The Big Spin really sees Black Country, New Road hit their stride. The former in particular really embodies the band’s willingness to experiment and lack of regard for genre, with classical melodies peeking through the track’s folky undertones.
Black Country, New Road throw in a cover of Big Star’s The Ballad of El Goodo for good measure before they close, and in all their set feels over far too soon. Having played most of what their current formation have to offer, you can easily understand them leaving everyone wanting more. It’s a superb evening from a band who have really hit their stride with Forever Howlong.
