Brighton's best...
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The Magic Numbers/HAL...
review I’d usually say that wearing a scarf onstage is an unnecessary affectation under those hot lights, but it’s so bloody freezing inside and out tonight that I’m convinced that HAL’s singer Dave Allen (no relation) is in genuine need of it. Fortunately, this Irish trio manage to conjure up such a summery sound with their slow, lazy, sun-kissed songs that all thoughts of the freezing blizzard are cast aside for the brief period they’re on. Even if one is called, appropriately, ‘Worry about the Wind".Try as I might, I can only count three of this Irish quartet this evening. And they seem to be using the Magic Numbers drum kit. With no keyboards, just drum, bass and the singer balanced throughout the six-song performance on a stool with an acoustic and harmonica, it’s a more subdued and static performance than their recorded oeuvre might have intimated. Away from all this Art-Rock/Punk-Funk business that’s become so fashionable at the moment, HAL take their influences from West-Coast Americana. Influenced by Brian Wilson, The Byrds and Dylan they conjure up the flowery sounds of the summer of love and the AOR of the early 70s. The audience are totally up for a bit of toe-tapping and head-nodding stuff and there seems to be genuine disappointment that their set is so brief. The Magic Numbers Taking their rightful place around their own drum kit, The Magic Numbers are one of the hairiest bands I’ve seen in an age. Continuing with the Summer of Love influenced sound, the five-piece set to work on more flowery, sunny indie-pop. More diverse than HAL they also take in folk, rock and blues-based influences. I’ve heard references to the Mamas and Papas bandied about, but they’re more of a Fleetwood Mac to me. Throughout their set they’re positively hurling out positive vibes. Grinning from ear to ear without interruption they receive a rapturous reception from the crowd who seem to know all the words despite them only having released an extremely limited single. There’s definitely a following here. There’s so much love in the room that I feel slightly left out, cynic that I am. Obvious crowd favourite ‘Hymn to Her’ goes down extremely well. It’s all warm waves of folk/rock, three-point harmonies and glockenspiel additions. But it’s not all balladry. There’s a slew of up-tempo, blues-riffed numbers towards the end of their set. It’s all very well scratching one’s beard to these summery sounds; but those sub-zeros really come as a shock when it’s time to leave.
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