ENJOYABLE LISTENS + CAL LYNN + SCARLETT WOOLFE + DOGVIOLET – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 8.5.24
I’ve had the privilege of watching and reviewing some big and influential names in the music world in recent weeks from A Certain Ratio and Everything Everything to Elbow and The Smile, but often I crave the excitement and unpredictability of a local band night out in Brighton; the bouts of sudden surprise and creativity that can be found at all manner of venues around the city came through at The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday night, courtesy of Hidden Herd! Spearheading the night is the Oxford-based Enjoyable Listens, fronted by Luke Duffett and backed by bassist Dominic Rose, who brought forward a gorgeous display of 80s new wave and synthpop songs… but more on them later! First up however, it’s the queer/female-based post-punk troupe, Dogviolet, curated by the partners-in-crime team of Naz and Ella.
They settle the crowd in for the opening ride on ‘Fig Leaves’ with vocalist and guitarist Naz preaching “this is the part where you stop talking and we start playing”... nicely handled! Bassist Brodie opens with a droning bass loop for Naz to introduce her powerful and controlled vocals before the track evolves into a strong post-punk groove. This track is a super good introduction to the band: steady musicianship, image-inducing lyrics like “this garden isn’t for us” and an elite backdrop of post-punk and shoegaze. ‘Dandelion’ sees Naz now armed with an electric guitar, pulling the band into a more dream-like soundscape, with a progression and feel that gives me early PJ Harvey vibes. Brodie drives the track ‘Now’ with a great bassline for Naz, guitarist Ella and drummer Lauren to display their strengths in a blissfully poised manner. Naz introduces ‘Violets’ as a song about her and Ella’s soon-to-be marriage, having been partners for a decade. The lyrical themes of uncertainty in the early stages of deep love hit hard as their vocal harmonies cascade through The Hope and Ruin… oh yeah, and Lauren has a cowbell, wicked! ‘Black Walnut’ raises topics of not losing hope towards social change, something that is very vital in this day and age, while their cover of System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’ is slow and ethereal, yet dynamically controlled! Dogviolet close out with their loudest track of the set, ‘Daughter’ with Naz gripping a cowbell and instrumentalists engaging in a dance-punk sound that reminds me of groups like Liquid Liquid and DFA1979…!
Dogviolet:
Naz – lead vocals, guitar
Ella – lead guitar, backing vocals
Lauren – drums
Brodie – bass
Dogviolet setlist:
‘Fig Leaves’
‘Dandelion’
‘Now’
‘Violets’
‘Black Walnut’
‘Toxicity’ (System of a Down cover)
‘Daughter’
Following Dogviolet, came the glam queen herself, Scarlett Woolfe; born in Suffolk and based in London, Scarlett’s music blurs the lines between gothic rock, post-punk, poetry and glam rock, with songwriting rooted in an influence of storytelling and cathartic folklore. Her naturally free-spirited presence asserts itself instantaneously with the audience as her backing band enact the opening ‘Poor Suzy’ with its atmospheric guitar textures and intense vocal performances that act as a staple of the Scarlett Woolfe experience. The hard rock tones of ‘Mother Rebel’ sees one of Scarlett’s guitarists engaging in some cool dissonant slide guitar incorporations that remind me of Swans’ Kristof Hahn, while Ms Woolfe crawls across the stage in moments of strong stagecraft. A spoken word poem precedes ‘Razor & The Hook’ which creates a delightfully weird infusion of the falsettos of Sparks and the instrumental gravitas of The Last Dinner Party, while ‘Man Of My Kind’ is a slower, spaced out cut, with blanketed guitars giving way to electrifying passages of intensity towards the end. ‘Birdsong’’s incredible waltzing rhythm and grand imagery is a powerful moment in the set for me, as is the lightning strike that is the song ‘Blood On The Wall’, where Scarlett encourages the crowd to dance to its thunderous tom-based drum groove and stabbing synth chords. Finally, the one-two gift of the slow-paced ‘Shape Of A Man’ and the waves of distortion that swarm ‘Crawl’ give you one last bout of glam glory from Scarlett before thanking us for her time.
Scarlett Woolfe setlist:
‘Poor Suzy’
‘Mother Rebel’
‘Razor & The Hook’
‘Man Of My Kind’
‘Birdsong’
‘Blood On The Wall’
‘Shape Of A Man’
‘Crawl’
Fresh out of the alternative band Toyz, the Brighton-based Cal Lynn shapes himself into a steady solo pathway that infuses the nostalgia of 70s folk and Americana music and the contemporary sounds of bands like The Lemon Twigs and Geese. Backed by a diverse cast of musicians, Cal calmly introduces himself as he kicks off the short set with the track ‘Lauretta’, which displays a warm atmosphere of chiming organs and fuzzed out guitars, plus a completely unassuming vocal performance that captivated me! The song transitions into the track ‘Cotton Wool’, complete with pianos and Americana-induced guitar passages that create a very potent, vintage aura that Cal has clearly desired to capture. The following ‘Who’s Your Dada?’ is immaculately arrangement, hinting towards the days of Ziggy Stardust, plus some sweet doo-wop elements for good measure, while the gorgeous chord progressions of debut single ‘Kids On Junk’ drives towards a more Britpop vibe, coloured by alternative country and glam. The track ‘Cracking Up’ features some slightly anachronistic synth textures, which eventually gel very nicely with the nostalgia 50s vibe; honestly, there’s something deeply coded in Cal’s music that really resonates with me…! I spot a middle-aged couple dancing to my right on the closing ‘Maybelline’, something that I think is the perfect image for Cal’s music: a bittersweet, twilight romance that no amount of time will ever fade away.
Cal Lynn:
Cal Lynn – lead vocals, guitar
Malte Henning – drums
Rob (surname unknown) – keyboards, synth
Callum Allner – bass
Amelia Davis-Sall – backing vocals, tambourine
Cal Lynn setlist:
‘Lauretta’
‘Cotton Wool’
‘Who’s Your Dada?’
‘Kids On Junk’
‘Cracking Up’
‘Maybelline’
Capping off the night is the delightful Enjoyable Listens, the six-or-so-year-old synthpop project of one Luke Duffett from Oxford. A quiet introduction from himself in a typically 80s businessman suit precedes the opening cut ‘Summer Hit’. Already, I’m hit by Luke’s genius persona, a man with angular movements and deep baritone croon that draws myself into the waves of drum machines and jangly guitars from the backing track. Luke’s stage presence is wonderfully offbeat, giving hints of James Acaster via mannerisms. He regularly orders his sidekick Dominic to “play the track!”, the first instance of which leads us to the second track of the night, ‘A Laugh & A Half’ from his debut record ‘The Enjoyable Listen’. A very Future Islands-type song, the soft synth passages and cruising electronic grooves, paired with Luke’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics of “you told me to forget her, but how can I? She’s my mother.”, are enough to make me laugh, and feel oddly emotional at the same time! Luke introduces the song ‘Keeping You Up’ as a story of an experience with a vocal coach who was too good to be true… you REALLY have to be there, please! Anyway, this track is a slower number, despite the intense dancing put on display and is one of many instances where a stellar sense of production is paramount.
A favourite of mine, ‘Tear Up The Picture Of My Kids’ is a very glamorous track, complete with shimmering synths and an extremely powerful vocal performance that could challenge that of Bryan Ferry or Rick Astley, two synthpop kings that I’m sure Luke would relish in the comparisons of. The electro-country gem that is ‘International Space Station’ sees Luke becoming more unhinged in his persona the further into the set, with the last leg of the track spent on acoustic guitar and Korg synth between himself and Dominic respectively. A currently unreleased song, the harrowingly-titled ‘There’s No Way Out Of My Day Job’ is a humorous cut that, blended with the melancholic instrumentation of Luke’s guitar, reminds me of madcap avant-folk artist David Thomas Broughton. Now, if there’s anything that would make the night perfect for me, it’s the closing song ‘Drowning In The Reef’… I have not stopped playing this song since the show, it’s SO goddamn catchy, it’s incredible! A regaling story of meeting a father-in-law for the first time sits in the lyrical deckchair, with some romantic and nostalgic array of mellotron choirs and motorik synth beats painting the soundscape… oh yeah, and Luke jumps around The Hope and Ruin floor with his feet buried inside the waste bin, perfectly normal behaviour from Enjoyable Listens. Well, I can safely say that Wednesday’s Hidden Herd event was a 100% success: from the entrancing Dogviolet and the free-wheeling Scarlett Woolfe to the nostalgic Cal Lynn and the truly extraordinary Enjoyable Listens, I was left on a high from a night that fired on all cylinders! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off for my 34th consecutive listen of ‘Drowning In The Reef’...!
Enjoyable Listens:
Luke Duffett – vocals
Dominic Rose – bass, guitar, “The Track”
Enjoyable Listens setlist:
‘Summer Hit’
‘A Laugh & A Half’
‘Keeping You Up’
‘Tear Up The Picture Of My Kids’
‘International Space Station’
‘There’s No Way Out Of My Day Job’
‘Drowning In The Reef’
