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Kai Palmer enjoys a night of contagious fun and seriously great tunes courtesy of the Hartlepool music makers
Image: Marketplace by Kai Palmer
Marketplace are a contagiously fun quintet from Hartlepool who look and sound the part tonight at Zerox as they bring their delightfully melodious indie pop to a very ready crowd.
The band have not long returned from an impressive stint at New Colossal festival in New York, solidifying the fact they’re certainly on a rising momentum, but we’re glad to have them back over here.
Supporting them is Newcastle singer-songwriter Charlie Floyd. With a cracking voice and slick guitar lines, he plays a cool acoustic set to exhibit the magic of his growing, solo discography. It hints at the nonchalance of noughties indie rock with a little mindfulness, particularly on opener 2000 which implores listeners not to “wish away your days” over a groovy riff. It’s easy to be drawn in by Floyd’s sincere writing style and he carries the energy of the room up high ready for Marketplace.
The Teesside music-makers take the stage in their scandalous and signature smart-casual looks (a shirt and tie with shorts!) and kick off with recently released track Play Nice!, which has been described by lead singer Evie Rhodes as “years of frustrations boiling up to the surface that I wished I’d been able to express at the time.”
On Gooey Eyes they contrast a dreamy bassline with burning lyrics like “Remember when you said you would never be mine? / Well babe don’t threaten me with a good time”, but show us the other half of their writing with (Everyone Wants To Be A) Racecar, in which they summon us to vroom-vroom and start our engines: you really can’t hold any inhibitions at a gig after doing your best impression of a car revving up, they know what they’re doing…
The band offer up colourful, energetic pop that’s intentionally silly. Despite their catalogue still growing, their recorded tracks to date already bring the range of emotions necessary from your favourite indie-pop outfit. Whether it’s a potential diss track with a burn or playful, light-hearted bop, this band have got you covered, especially live.
Light doses of deadpan humour are spread throughout as they tune their guitars and ultimately invite a warm presence. There’s a certain charisma to the band that makes them so enjoyable to watch and listen to. The chemistry between singers Evie Rhodes and Joel O’Beirne is best heard on Edroom as their frictionless vocals interlock around lyrics exploring confusing relationships. Likewise, Reddit Man a fast-paced, guitar-driven track sees the band perform a track that could get an entire indie bar dancing as they pine over an online relationship.
