pip brings a wholesome night of alternative, dreamy, indie vibes to the dark depths of Digbeth’s Deadwax. With their bizarre fusions of genres and intoxicating energy on stage, pip have enticed a niche and loyal fan base that flood through the rainy streets of Brum to catch a glimpse of the outfit at their headline show.
Trapsing through the dreary, desolate streets of Digbeth with water swelling down the pot-hole scattered road, we head over to Deadwax desperate to get out of the rain. The downstairs of the venue is empty when we arrive, but it doesn’t take long for herds of soaked through people to stumble through the Deadwax front doors just in the nick of time as, support band, Hesh head on stage.
Grunge boys Hesh position themselves on stage ready to take on a crowd full of soggy brummies with beaming faces. The 4-piece outfit seems to battle a nervous energy on stage, with an exciting set full of original tracks and covers. Due to this being Hesh’s first live show, jittery nerves were to be expected, but ultimately the outfit had a charming approach to the live performance, and it was lovely to witness Hesh finding levels of comfort when talking to the audience between tracks.
Bracing the stage for the first time, the group have displayed a huge level of potential and it would be thrilling to see the lads take on more live shows in the next few months. Currently, Hesh has two singles out on all streaming platforms, including their debut single ‘Head Spins’, released in late 2022, and their most recent track ‘The Suns’, put out earlier this year.
After a short cross over, giving everyone just enough time to grab a beer from downstairs, Jazzcat head up on stage. From the first note, Jazzcat portray an upmost level of professionalism and comfort in the spotlight. It’s refreshing to see such a young musical group have undeniable natural stage presence and talent. Having watched Jazzcat perform an abundance of shows since the start, I still get chills watching their captivating performance, hypnotised by the mystical, indie guitar riffs and the wildly emotive lyrics and vocal work from lead vocalist Jamie.
Playing an impressive selection of original tracks, Jazzcat showcased enthralling new unreleased tracks, teasing fans and further proving to themselves that they already need to get back into the studio and bless us with their next single. As always, Jazzcat face the audience with gleaming grins, gliding almost effortlessly through their set. Coming up to the last song of their set, having already snapped a string in soundcheck, lead guitarist Ed managed to snap his high E string once again. Despite the minor hiccup, Ed swiftly continued to play until one of pip’s guitarists could swoop in offering their guitar to fill in. Finally breaking into their last track of the set, Jazzcat swung into their debut released single ‘Robyn’; seeing the crowd join in singing the track whilst swaying and dancing, felt hugely cathartic and must fill Jazzcat with such pride.
With the night flying by in a flurry of beautiful sounds and performances, pip is already jumping on stage for the final set of the night. Flowing wonderfully from the graceful and smooth nature of Jazzcat, pip have a whimsical, almost ethereal energy on stage. Serenading us with a rolling set of original songs, pip masterfully grasp the entire audience’s attention with their intoxicating unique songwriting and interesting instrumentals. Having the contrasting vocal work from both of pip’s guitarists as well as the bassist, makes for a fascinating blend of harmonies that comes across otherworldly.
The wholesomely awkward, and chatty nature of pip adds to their charm and has a soothing and warming effect on the audience- perhaps why they have developed such a loyal and friendly following of fans. pip's set features a selection of old and new tracks, with a surprise song from the outfit’s guitarist and vocalist, Fi: exceptionally heartfelt and intimate. Finishing up their set, pip brought up local fave, Producer Pete, playing trumpet for the live version of my personal favourite track ‘down south’. Saying their final thank you’s to the crowd and bidding them a safe journey home, pip hop off stage.
You can listen to Pip’s debut EP ‘are we there yet?’ now on all streaming platforms.
Hesh:
Jazzcat
pip
Comentários