A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine - Steve, the guitarist of Loveless - ask me if I wanted to come and see his band playing at the Monarch in Camden. On Tuesday, day of the gig, willing to have a break from working and revising for exams, I have decided to give him positive answer. And there I was, a couple of hours later, in a booth, meeting Steve and the rest of the band and thinking that reviewing the band would not be a bad idea.
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| Loveless - Facebook Page |
• The venue •
Cosy, full of booths, with a pool and a life-size faceless Queen Elizabeth I, The Monarch in Camden is a great place to relax for a long day and enjoy a gig. What makes this pub unique is its spirit of contradiction and its difference with any other place of the area. Huge but separated in small quiet areas, The Monarch has managed to create an interior world that is - literally - open to the outside. The pub, thanks to a large window behind the stage, has managed to make the spectators of a show inside become the actor of the show that pedestrian can enjoy from the outside. Just like the difference between the public and private lives of a monarch.
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• Loveless: live ! •
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| Loveless - Facebook Page |
Stage lights on. Five guys on stage. A few people gathering in front of them. The venue suddenly quiet. The gig was about to start - or re-start.
Loveless was the first band I saw on stage and they were pretty good. I thought, before going to the venue, that doing a review about them might be risky as I felt I might not be objective - and that I didn't know what to expect. I did not expect to be surprised.
Loveless was formed less that six months ago by members who are studying this wonderful art that is music. Even though this indie-rock group is composed of five guys in their early 20s, who are not only very talented and very fashionable but also very nice, they managed to own the stage like a very few young bands manage to these days. They shared with their audience and expressed their professionalism, passion for the art, and talent during a 30-minute worth-listening show. A show during which the harmony is the band was obvious and enjoyable.
After the first couple songs welcomed by growing cheering from the audience, Loveless shared their enthusiasm with the people at The Monarch - who were there only by chance or on purpose to support the bands - making them dance and live the rhythm created by the five musicians on stage. At some point of the show, not only did I see some people outside of the pub - who were waiting for their buses - carefully watching and listening to the band, but the audience inside started to share back with the band. A mutual exchange made of smiles, of dance moves; a mutual understanding of the love for music.
However, even though they produced a very confident music, once the voice was put on top, the charm was little by little disappearing. Each time they started playing a new song, we had the chance to hear the musical harmony between the instruments, and therefore between the musicians. The indie-rock style was refreshing, lively, moving and entertaining. A high-pitch music making me feel like dancing, laughing, living. But, with a rock-ish style, low-pitch voice and barely understandable lyrics - as the singer was almost eating the microphone - this feeling quickly fade away. I reckon that by being further away from the microphone, the singer may have more freedom in his posture and therefore in his voice, which will bring more confidence to it. I will also allow the audience to understand the lyrics - and therefore appreciate the music even more.
Nevertheless, I do believe that this band has a future. Indeed, they have a wonderful confidence and harmony which make them produce a very ambitious and energetic music that it is delightful to listen to.
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• Useful links •
Loveless Twitter: twitter.com/_LovelessUK
Loveless Facebook: facebook.com/LovelessUKOfficial
The Monarch: facebook.com/TheMonarchBar
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Have a good day.
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