When I first heard Champs’ ‘My Spirit Is Broken’ I described it as “the best song The Traveling Wilburies never recorded”. Naturally, I mentioned the band on Twitter in the comment, and after a quick chat with one of one half of them (David Champion) after the gig last night they told me that the comment went down well. Am I going somewhere with this or am I just pretending that I say all the right words about music? I’m going somewhere; when first seeing the band on stage they do resemble the aforementioned Wilburies but travelling at different times of their solo careers, with David’s bearded brother Michael taking the role of ‘Concert For Bangladesh’ era George Harrison, while Michael’s brother David’s slick, monochrome look has more in common with Roy Orbison, pre-shades.
And the music? Well that’s equal parts intelligently thoughtful lyrics and absorbing, approachable melodies. Opening with ‘My Spirit Is Broken’, it’s clear that the meanings should not always completely reflect the mood, with a chorus of “Don’t be the reason why it’s cold in my heart” being a moment that will make you want to warm up with a dance, while ‘Savannah’ drives between jaunty piano-lead verses and the brothers’ trademark harmonies. Sounding perhaps even more haunting than on their recordings, Michael’s one-man Fleet Fox of a voice almost stuns the crowd like rabbits in headlights, before David accompanies, offering even more depth, particularly on ‘Down Like Gold’ which washes over yet, unlike water off a duck’s back, seeps in and stays there. (What is this? A gig review or Attenborough narrating ‘Animals Of Farthing Wood’?).
Half an hour later The Jezabels – all the way from Sydney, Australia – take to the stage and frontwoman Hayley Mary’s audience seduction begins. Bouncing between Heather Shannon on keyboard and guitarist Samuel Lockwood, her Pong-like dance – nor her glamorous gothic punk look – isn’t the only factor that harks back to late 70s/early 80s influences. With the euphoric waves of Shannon’s keys against Lockwood’s Edge-like chimes, Jezabels offer an output that sounds like some bizarre crossover between the early material of U2 and New Order, but covered by the entire career-span of Yeah Yeah Yeahs; the electro-disco of ‘It’s Blitz!’ and the stunning simplicity of ‘Maps’ included.
While Hayley Mary jokes (she jokes a lot, which is good) that the man holding his copy of new album ‘The Brink’ is the only person in the UK to buy it, there is clearly a strong fanbase… Too strong sometimes, with one fan in the front row reaching out to grab the now slightly alarmed singer as if she’d reached The Crystal Maze’s Crystal Dome and was surrounded by gold and silver notes. Of the new tracks, the opening title-track, ‘Time To Dance’ and ‘Beat To Beat’ steal the show, with the titles of the latter two offering clues as to why: with Hayley switching from sultry vocals with their accompanied strut and the hands-in-the air euphoria of the top end of her range, the music that the band describe as “intensindie” is obviously designed to make the audience move. And they do.
Material from their debut album ‘Prisoner’ segues in-between the new tracks seemlessly; however it’s the tracks from their first EPs that gain the biggest cheers. ‘A Little Piece’ and ‘Dark Storm’ feature fewer of the synthesized loops, offering a more rock orientated sound (leading to many more sweat-drenched towel moments for drummer Nik Kaloper) , as is the case with ‘Easy To Love’, the second and final song of their encore. “We’ll be out in the bar later if you want to say hi,” Hayley tells the crowd, although after one can of Red Stripe and no sign of them, it’s safe – and understandable – to assume that she decided to escape the clutches of the crazy one, for whom the band were far too easy to “FUCKING LOVE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH!”
Dan Bull
Latest posts by Dan Bull (see all)
- LIVE: Tom Petty And The Heatbreakers @ Hyde Park 09.07.17 - July 14, 2017
- LIVE: The Killers @ BST Hyde Park, 08.07.17 - July 12, 2017
- Glastonbury 2017: The bands, the brass and Barry Gibb! - June 27, 2017
