Creo might as well just bag it and send it to radio. Their tight, well crafted pop rock sounds like popular radio’s best friend, think post- Because Of The Times Kings of Leon.
Unfortunately the crowd seemed to be stuck to Ding Dong Lounge’s plush booths for the entirety of their live set.
As more people arrived and Cold Hiker’s brand of 90s, Jeff Buckley-inspired psychedelia took hold, the crowd got to their feet, perhaps awed by these young whippersnappers’ energy and unique sound.
With soaring vocals, treated with effects and big delay, every song became a soundscape, perhaps lacking a little in diversity, but with a little work these guys could be powerful.
As The Pretty Littles take the stage, the crowd pulsates and flexes like a manic, sweaty moth emerging from its cocoon, as wild-eyed men jostle for position in the amicable aggression of the mosh pit. Feedback humming through hollow-body telecasters only serves to heighten the anticipation and everyone in the tightly packed room is pressed towards the stage like pigs on a killing floor.
This particular gig marked the release of the Pretty Littles’ second EP We Are Not From A Small Town, produced by Alex Markwell of The Delta Riggs. The relevance of the title is either entirely literal or totally ambiguous; it’s hard to get a straight answer out of these guys, it seems chaos and confusion is more their kind of vibe.
By the time they’d thrashed their way through a couple of songs, the bouncers were already failing miserably to contain the mosh pit and stop people from crowd-surfing. This is the music of the ‘Fuck The Real World’ revolution, these guys didn’t give a shit if they got injured – one guy even leapt on stage and proudly brandished his bleeding hand to the audience before diving headfirst onto the oblivious punters.
While the volume of the guitars and drums rendered the vocals nearly inaudible, this wasn’t the sort of show where the crowd hang out to hear their favourite tracks. However, some did attempt to scream the words to the better known tracks, such as the opener ‘Mumma’ from the new EP or the killer ‘Tread Careful’ from their 2011 release Fairweather.
Audible lyrics aside, it was like a house party at a bar, half the crowd had a go on stage playing tambourines, screaming backing vocals or just grinning like wannabe rockstar idiots.
If you like a band that gets the blood pumping (sometimes literally), crushes eardrums, and gives a good excuse to revert to your primal roots, get down to The Pretty Littles’ next gig and leap around like a maniac, scream at the top of your lungs, tell the bouncers to fuck off and wake up the next morning wondering if it was all just a dream…
These guys are set to make it big, so catch ‘em while it’s still ten bucks.
