LUMER - Disappearing Act EP Review

Hull has given up many a surprising star turn over the years; Mick Ronson, The Housemartins, The Red Guitars, Two Jags! and more recently, FEVER. Joining them on the rosta of notable entertainers is Post-Punk foursome, LUMER. The quartet from the former City Of Culture are about to release their debut EP, Disappearing Act on January 29th.

 LUMER

LUMER's seven track EP showcases the band's not insubstantial talents. Having performed a lockdown, Coronavirus live stream gig at Mabgate Bleach in Leeds last year, and having previously played a BBC Introducing live session at Maida Vale Studios, the band are keen to get their music out to a wider audience. They've already supported the likes of Crows, Flat Worms, Psychotic Monks and Sweaty Palms as well as getting a thumbs up from Idles Joe Talbot. 

Disappearing Act has already given up five very well received singles to date but this is the first time they will have been packaged together and the first time that both the opening track, She's Innocent and the title track of the EP will have been released. She's Innocent kicks the EP off with a petulant swagger and a retro Rock-a-Billy strut. The revolving guitar riff and wonderfully woozy, slackly laid bass soundtrack the vocal of Alex Evans supremely well. 

Last years August single, The Sheets is an altogether faster affair with a more frantic, energised guitar and a wonderful walking bass line. The relentless pace that drives the track is off-set by the vocal which sits atop, narrating the song with a calculated detachment. 

White Tsar plays on the frenetic chords and white noise of the guitar together with the impassioned near psychotic vocals where as By Her Teeth is a more considered, calmer track that incorporates keyboards and brings to the fore a loose bass line.

The title track of LUMER's debut EP, Disappearing Act, comes at you somewhere between a deranged Mark E Smith and the spoken word part of Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall Part 2, namely, "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding?" The squal of guitar noise, powerful percussive impetus and building wall of sound that is only enhanced by the feedback make for a gloriously riotous and raucous highlight to the new EP. (File LUMER under "ones to watch").