Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Dominic Stephenson catches Hull’s formidable live outfit at their Newcastle show
There’s a select group of bands who I’ll never miss when they come to town and LIFE will always be one of them. On this occasion, they had brought along fellow Hullites ROTHCO and after a quick scour of their Instagram, I inferred they were missing a regular vocalist on the night. Their meaty, sax-driven sound hinted at inspiration from early-days Black Country, New Road, with the accordion adding a slight Balkan flex and while they’re still honing their craft, the groundwork has been laid to expand their self-professed “gothic new wave”.
A LIFE gig feels like a warm embrace from an old friend and with it being upwards of three-and-a-half years since their last visit, the quartet’s absence had been felt. In that time they’d been working on album number four – ABSTRACT / NATURAL – and a further departure from the caustic sonics of their formative years.
Bassist Lydia sadly had to miss the show due to a bereavement and vocalist Mez Green dedicated the performance to her, diving straight in with the utterly contagious ‘Drinking Games’, before the oscillating fervour of Sun In Nancy. As ever, the magnetic frontman was a livewire presence, making a detour into the crowd for timeless banger ‘Bum Hour’ and they took a trip down memory lane on the juddering Euromillions, an anti-nationalist tune which is just as relevant as when it was released nearly a decade ago. Thistles Kiss is another ripened belter from the new album and Our Love Is Growing, the sole representative from the preceding LP, was a wistful chunk of touching indie pop.
Despite their development, “experimentation” is not a word I’d normally associate with the band but how else do you describe Buried Giant, a sprawling, synth-flecked odyssey and another to savour, and they just had to close with the towering ‘Friends Without Names’. It’s been nearly seven years since I first saw LIFE and while they’re still undeniably an overlooked force in alternative rock, their solid identity and ethos have grown with their unmistakable sound.
