Wild Beasts Page 2

On the South East coast of England, in the once resplendent seaside resort of Margate, By The Sea Festival took up residency in the re-imagined heritage pleasure park, Dreamland. After the success of Foals and Hot Chip in its inaugural year By The Sea returned to a resurgent Margate to blend the established with the up and coming in an environment like no other. Amongst the helter skelter, big wheel, carousels and coasters the various artists took to the stages (and decks) in the wonderfully evocative Roller Disco, down at the dodgems or in the newly restored Hall By The Sea. With Kiss Me Quick cocktails and enough locally brewed cider to entice The Wurzels the amassed throngs were in for a very entertaining weekend.

Wild Beasts ("They're so f'ing sexy"-Blaine Harrison, Mystery Jets) got off to a cracking start in the Hall By The Sea with a pumped up version of 'Big Cat' and an impromptu birthday celebration for "ideosynchratic drummer" Chris Talbot before launching into a sizemic, shape shifting and floor shaking rendition of 'He The Colossus' and a wonderful working of 'Wanderlust'. The Kendal foursome sounded on top of their game, channelling circa '82 Simple Minds, ahead of their upcoming live set on 6Music.

In the shabby chic surroundings of the kitsch come cool Roller Disco, Mystery Jets got joyously playful with 'Flash A Hungry Smile'. After the initial grief imparted in 'Telomere' they ramped up the tempo and asked the assembled masses, "do you feel like dancing?" A blinding rendition of their single, 'Bubblegum', ensued. Taken from the band's latest album, 'Curve Of The Earth', it easily got the biggest interaction of the night so far. The Middlesex quartet followed up with another crowd pleaser, 'Young Love', and quite bizarrely another birthday shout-out, this time for Gary who did all of the MJ's art work! With apparently "too many tracks for just one album this year" the band took to a highlight off their new 5 track E.P, 'The Whole Earth', 'The World Is Overtaking Me' sounded spectacular, with front man Blaine and his three cohorts synched in tight unison, delivering a belting track replete with (Tubeway Army era) Numan esc keyboard loop, they sounded awesome; full of passion and presence as well as full of love for their fellow performers, especially The Big Moon, Wild Beasts and Meilyr Jones (at one time late on in his set striking a quick Bowie pose whilst teasing us with an all too brief classic Bowie riff) Mystery Jets pitched it perfectly in the Roller Disco with a short, sharp very entertaining set that left you just aching for a little more.

Continue reading: By The Sea Festival - Dreamland, Margate, Kent 30th September/1st October 2016

Having first garnered critical acclaim with their second album release, 'Two Dancers', British art-pop band Wild Beasts have steadily leaked into mainstream conciousness over the past five years. Their latest album, 'Present Tense', is their best selling yet reaching number ten in the UK Album Chart. 'Mecca' is the second single from the new release and truly shows why Wild Beasts are ever growing in popularity.

'Mecca' kicks off with extended, spiritual sounding synth notes while, underneath, another synth chimes deeper, lonely notes, overall giving an otherworldly effect but at the same time delivering a sense of humanity that Wild Beasts have become particularly adept at conveying. As vocalist Hayden Thorpe croons the first half of the chorus in near silence, you gear yourself up for a sudden huge explosion of electronics. However, all that happens is a straightforward drum beat coupled with ethereal building synths, giving off a not unpleasant sense of unpredictability. Aside from the bridge, which veers off into a minimal, twinkly guitar solo, this really is all 'Mecca' is; the same synth tone, a steady drum beat and consistent vocals. Even so, it somehow feels like so much more, which is quite an achievement. It could be due to how these different elements are so wisely arranged; the power evenly distributed as opposed to just all working together to make the biggest sound possible.

The lyrics on 'Mecca' paint a picture of desperately wanting to feel a certain way again, though ultimately revealing that this feeling is always inside us - we just need to convince it to come out. It's a mature way of looking at human emotions, rather than exploring how our environment and relationships effect the way we feel.

Continue reading: Wild Beasts - Single Review

As one-day music festivals go, London's Field Day stands out from the crowd as being the most ambitious and forward-thinking certainly in terms of its booking policy. Concentrating on the more hip end of the spectrum along with legendary artists of yore, the Eat Your Own Ears curated event has hosted the likes of Wild Beasts, Laura Marling, Foals, The Horrors and Bat For Lashes at very early stages in their artistic development since its inaugural bash in 2007. Situated in Victoria Park just a stones throw away from Mile End tube station in the capital's east side, this year has seen Field Day expand its number of stages to seven, with the Do You Come Here Often? and joint venture between the Lock Tavern and Shacklewell Arms each hosting line-ups for the first time.

Continue reading: Field Day, Victoria Park, London. 6th August 2011 Live Review

Review of Wild Beasts album Two Dancers released through Domino Records.

Continue reading: Wild Beasts, Two Dancers Album Review

Review of Wild Beasts debut album Limbo, Panto released through Domino Records.

Continue reading: Wild Beasts, Limbo, Panto Album Review

Wild Beasts
Assembly
(Domino)
Single Review

Continue reading: Wild Beasts, Assembly Single Review