TEEN – LIVE @ The Hope, Brighton, 18.07.14

Rating:

The Ronettes. The Shangri-Las. Heart. The Bangles. The Breeders. Haim. From the sixties to the present day, the sister act remains a staple motif in pop music. Brooklyn quartet TEEN (capped up to boost search engine optimisation, techies) boasts three sisters: Kristina ‘Teeny’ Lieberson (lead vocals/guitar), Katherine Lieberson (drums/vocals) and Lizzie Lieberson (keyboards/vocals), plus newish, non-sibling member Boshra Alsaadi (bass/vocals). Their debut album, In Limbo, was released in 2012 and produced by Pete Kember (AKA Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3), while sophomore effort The Way and Color came out earlier this year. The band has described their music as “psychedelic gospel”, though they’re so much more than that: lush harmonies, drone guitar and cascading analogue-sounding synths combine with punk funk bass lines and Krautrock beats to produce an energetic and eclectic sound.

They open with ‘Rose 4 U’, which with its swirling synthesiser, staccato vocals and gorgeous Beach Boys-esque harmonies on the middle eight sounds like a union of Stereolab and the Breeders. On ‘Breathe Low & Deep’ (a mash-up of TLC and Faith No More) they explore indie R&B territory, though seem more at home with the punk pop of ‘Electric’ (Jesus and Mary Chain meets The Slits). The highlight of the night is ‘Big Talk’, which combines a Sparks-esque keyboard part with post-punk bass and drums and an irresistibly catchy chorus, as Lieberson repeats the line “Sorry for all the big talk…” Set closer ‘All the Same’ features more of the band’s multi-layered harmonies and a haunting vocal that’s reminiscent of Rumours era Stevie Nicks. In an alternative reality where Simon Cowell and his ilk haven’t removed the quirk from mainstream pop music and neutered its capacity to thrill and challenge the general public, TEEN would be selling out the O2.

Paul Sng

@sng_paul

Paul Sng

Paul Sng

Editor-at-large, Brighton. Likes: Lee Hazlewood, Lee Hazlewood songs and Lee Hazlewood's moustache Dislikes: Celery, crap nostalgia and people who raise their voice when speaking as if they're asking a question?