AIRCOOLED + WINTER GARDENS + THE EVENING SONS – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 17.2.24 (8pm show)
It’s been a busy week for Sussex-based psych outfit Aircooled, whose sophomore album ‘Eat The Gold’ was released on Friday (16th February 2024). Having played a storming in-store at Music’s Not Dead at The De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Wednesday (review HERE), they headed to a sold-out release day show at Third Man Records in London. With their Saturday date at The Prince Albert also sold out, a matinee show was added, giving a further opportunity for Brighton’s music lovers to experience the band’s “guitar tainted machine rock”, and on Sunday they’re heading on to Margate.
Having been a devotee since Aircooled’s early shows in St Leonards bars, it’s no surprise to me that their music is becoming increasingly popular with a wider audience. It’s an irresistible combination of insistently hypnotic electronica and dreamy psychedelic soundscapes, topped off with the most gloriously retro squelchy synth tones. Whilst their 2022 debut ‘St Leopards’ was predominantly instrumental, ‘Eat The Gold’ adds a new element with a strident male/female dual vocal, and the album is an absolute cracker.
I’m at The Prince Albert, near Brighton railway station, to report on the sold out evening show, and there certainly is a buzz about the place as we head upstairs when the doors open at 8pm.
First up are The Evening Sons, a Brighton band whose 2023 debut album ‘Tracks’ is on Los Angeles label Curation Records. Usually a 7-piece, they are missing one of their three guitarists tonight, though even with six performers it’s still fairly cosy on The Albert’s stage. The music is very much guitar-based power pop, with plenty of crunch, and has a distinctly American vibe. It’s not an obvious choice as support for an evening of dancey electronic rock, but I’m always up for a bit of variety and this is well executed and a fun listen. Frontman Russ and keyboard player Dave share the vocals, often doubling up for harmonies, or alternating call-and-response sections. The keyboards swoop and swoosh through ‘Force Field’, and the dual vocal and lively energy remind me of the punky pop of bands like Bowling For Soup, an impression consolidated by the bouncy ‘Morning Serenade’.
‘Superspreader’ moves along nicely on a damped chug from the twin guitars of Jay and Simon and some bubbling bass from the busy fingers of Macca. I’m amused by the title of new number ‘Boomtown Twats’, although the song itself has a more serious and plaintive quality to its descending chord pattern. By contrast, ‘I Gotta Gurl’ is a brisk and catchy four-chord romp. There’s some tasty riffing and bass octaves on ‘Lonely Tonite’, introduced as a forthcoming single, and I’m getting hints of slacker rock, maybe Teenage Fanclub. ‘Hey Hey (Let’s Get Lost)’ picks up the pace with a barre chord thrash worthy of the Ramones, and the set reaches a crescendo with ‘Sweet James’, full of crashing stabs interspersed with impressive fills from drummer Jamie. I’ve enjoyed The Evening Sons and would be happy to catch them again, though their material did seem slightly incongruous on this particular bill.
The Evening Sons:
Russ – vocals
Dave – keyboards/vocals
Macca – bass
Simon – guitar
Jay – guitar
Jamie – drums
The Evening Sons setlist:
‘Intro’
’Force Field’
‘Morning Serenade,
‘Superspreader’
‘Cindy’s Sox’
‘Boomtown Twats’
‘I Gotta Gurl’
‘Lonely Tonite’
‘Hey Hey (Let’s Get Lost)’
‘Sweet James’
www.instagram.com/theeveningsons
Winter Gardens have been around since 2017, based on the core duo of vocalist Ananda and guitarist Jamie. They’ve had some personnel changes, but have recently settled on the current lineup which has gelled most effectively into a punchy and powerful electronic-tinged modern rock with shoegazy overtones. Ananda cuts a particularly striking figure in a pleated black cape dress with flouncy sleeves that would look quite at home in Alison Goldfrapp’s wardrobe. Black is very much the sartorial theme for the band tonight. Second vocalist Jasmine complements the overall effect beautifully with lush harmonies. She and Ananda look and sound great together. There is a small synth on stage which gets sporadic use, though I suspect most of the rich layers of electronica are coming from the laptop and Jamie’s extensive array of effects pedals. The guitarist is an absolute whirling dervish of manic energy, flinging himself about with wild abandon. Drummer Connor and bassist Will manage to simultaneously be super-fluid and super-tight, deftly handling some interesting rhythmic changes through the funky guitar-led opener ‘Moonjockey’.
Previous single ‘Crystallise’ floats on a delicious bass groove, whilst ‘Coral Bells’ fair motors along, with impressive drum breaks punctuating its jangly guitar and mellifluous dual vocal. ‘Zigzanny’ strikes me as having a space-rock quality, whilst ‘Wonders Bleak’ has a vibey post-punk feel. I haven’t heard ‘U/U’ before, and it’s introduced as the next single. The vocals really soar and there’s a stunning guitar break. ‘Hyacinth’ starts slowly and dreamily with jangly guitar, and builds steadily and inexorably towards a massive playout. This excellent set concludes with the shuffling electro-groove of ‘Laminar Flow pt. II’. Winter Gardens seem to get better each time I see them, and they’ve absolutely smashed it tonight. They are very much becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Winter Gardens:
Ananda Howard – vocals
Jamie Windless – guitar
Jasmine Ardley – vocals, synth
Will Luchford – bass guitar
Connor McCorkindale – drums
Winter Gardens setlist:
‘Moonjockey’ (2023 single)
‘Crystallise’ (2022 single)
‘Coral Bells’ (2019 single)
‘Zigzanny’ (from 2020 ‘Tapestry’ EP)
‘Wonders Bleak’ (from 2020 ‘Tapestry’ EP)
‘U/U’ (forthcoming single)
‘Hyacinth’ (unreleased)
‘Laminar Flow pt. II’ (2021 single)
It’s time for the main event, and after a brief changeover Aircooled take the stage and launch ‘Airports’, the opening track from the new album. It starts slowly, with shimmering sparkles of delicate synth, then picks up a pulsing electro throb before the bass and drums kick in. It’s a handy introduction, as the vocal refrain consists of repetitions of the band’s name.
House left is Oliver Cherer, on synth, guitar and shared lead vocals. He wears a pinstripe suit and a trucker’s cap, in the ‘Paris, Texas’ style. A musician of many projects (Dollboy, Gilroy Mere and Rhododendron, for example), the current band is a development of his ‘Music For Aircooled Motoring’ album under the Australian Testing Labs moniker. As the title might suggest, the tracks are designed to blend harmoniously with the distinctive engine tone of a VW camper van, and partly explains the motorik nature of the current direction. Centre stage is Riz Maslen on shared vocals and synth, looking artily glamorous in a silver dress and a sparkly gold cape, her topknot of orange hair wafting gently in the breeze of the stage fans. Behind the kit is Justin Welch, a genuine indie rockstar in his own right as a former member of Suede and Elastica and the current drummer of Jesus And Mary Chain. He absolutely oozes gravitas, and punctuates the insistent beat with perfectly placed fills, dispatched with the insouciant ease of a seasoned pro with decades of top-flight experience. House right is Katharine Wallinger, a tall, slim and effortlessly cool figure, digging into a Jaguar bass to excavate relentless and rock-solid grooves, embellished with occasional flurries of tumbling notes. For this string of dates the band are playing as the core four-piece, though on previous occasions they have been joined on additional synth by Mew, the artist who provides the band’s strikingly distinctive imagery. Mew maintains a presence here tonight as the venue is festooned with her colourful budgerigar artworks rendered on cardboard, replicating the cover motif of the current album.
The packed crowd in The Albert are well up for this tonight, and the strident stomp of lead single ‘No Reason To Lie’ goes down a storm. I’m not sure I can remember an Aircooled gig where Ollie hasn’t lost his trucker’s cap at some point, and this is no exception. His penchant for Pete Townsend style windmill strumming of a rather stylish Reverend Jetstream guitar is usually responsible. There’s a departure from the current collection to play ‘Offenhausen 360’ from the 2022 debut ‘St Leopards’. It’s a beautifully hypnotic shuffle with swirling keyboards that eventually breaks down into a section of ethereal “ooh” vocals whilst Justin produces massive cymbal swells with a pair of soft mallets. The beat returns as we hurtle headlong into a brisk and trippily expansive playout. Lovely!
We’re back to ‘Eat The Gold’ with ‘Japanese Brute’, a supermassive groove of clanging guitar, seismic bass and languidly tumbling toms, with Riz and Ollie sharing a vocal which culminates in a high and sustained wail. It goes down very well indeed. Ollie is getting warm and dispenses with his suit jacket as he introduces ‘Star Rider’, a “sort of a single, though not a proper physical thing”. His lack of regard for digital-only releases is understandable as he is well known for working behind the counter at Music’s Not Dead, the Bexhill record store whose label Aircooled’s albums are released on. The number itself is based around an absolutely delightful electronic arpeggio that seems to combine with a retro synth tone to send alpha waves pulsing straight into my brain. When Riz adds some percussive flute notes to the mix, I’m totally entranced into an ecstatic reverie and transported back forty-odd years to listening to Kraftwerk on the Dansette in my teenage bedroom. I awake to hear Ollie enquiring, “That was good, right?” across the stage. Katharine nods in the affirmative, and rapturous cheering and applause serves as confirmation.
‘Transmission Transmission’ is another gloriously heavy groove, punctuated by thumpingly expressive rolls alternating between the floor and rack toms, and featuring more in-your-face dual vocals. The lyric of ‘Sing Pilgrim, Sing’ provides the “eat the gold” line that serves as the album title. The piece swoops and soars like a released budgie, gliding on massive snare rolls, and Ollie is laughing with delight. The room is a bit too crowded for the business of pretending to leave the stage, so we get the “encore” in situ, and it’s the standout track from the debut album, ‘Supamotodisco’. I’m too busy dancing to report much further, but needless to say it goes down an absolute storm. What a band, and what a gig! If this sounds like your sort of thing, I strongly recommend you check out Aircooled’s albums at the earliest opportunity.
Aircooled:
Oliver Cherer – vocals, guitar, synth
Riz Maslen – vocals, synth, flute, drum pad
Katharine Wallinger – bass
Justin Welch – drums
Aircooled setlist:
‘Airports’ (from 2024 ‘Eat The Gold’ album)
‘No Reason To Lie’ (from 2024 ‘Eat The Gold’ album)
‘Offenhausen 360’ (from 2023 ‘St Leopards’ album)
‘Japanese Brute’ (from 2024 ‘Eat The Gold’ album)
‘Star Rider’ (from 2024 ‘Eat The Gold’ album)
‘Transmission Transmission’ (from 2024 ‘Eat The Gold’ album)
‘Sing Pilgrim, Sing!’ (from 2024 ‘Eat The Gold’ album)
(encore)
‘Supamotodisco’ (from 2023 ‘St Leopards’ album)
