Thursday 9 May 2013

Live Review: No Ceremony /// (BidoLito! Sound City Daily)



No Ceremony ///
Liverpool Sound City (Friday 3rd May)
The East Village Arts Club


There is an air of intrigue hanging amongst the dry ice filling up the EVAC loft. Other than a few SoundCloud posts, Manchester’s NO CEREMONY /// have tip-toed their way onto our blogs and magazines behind a thick veil of mystery. Search for them on YouTube at your own risk, where you will be greeted by a series of bizarre music videos that serve no real purpose other than to creep you the fuck out.


Flanked by her band mates standing attentively in black suits, front-woman Kelly’s face is lit by a white spot light, almost as if she is about to tell us a ghost story. The more delicate members in the audience quickly wish she had, as the band launch ferociously into their first track Holdonme. New single Hurtlove’s chugging drum-machine and Café del Mar piano provides an inviting soundscape. Don’t be fooled though; auto-tuned vocals meander menacingly above, whispering quiet words of warning as if there were demons coming through the walls. 

Heartbreaker digs a little deeper, as an over-driven guitar peddles its way through a thick sea of brooding kick-drum and throbbing synths to create a sound that builds this expansive space before smashing it down with a ludicrously stomach-churning bass. I’m serious here - audience members literally back away from the stage, some even run to the bathrooms where I imagine they have gone to be sick.

Stage lights frame the stage colorfully, as a backdrop projected images of babies heads flicker disturbingly. We are in a horrible dystopian nightmare, and it feels fucking impressive. 



http://www.bidolito.co.uk/issues/lsc-2013-day-3

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