Released back in 2010, Wild Nothing’s Gemini was one of my favourite albums of the year, and one that was overlooked by many. Yet amongst the weird but sizeable Mancunian student crowd, Wild Nothing were uncharacteristically subdued at the Manchester Deaf Institute. Opening with ‘Our Composition Book’, a surprising choice, Jack Tatum’s band played a comprehensive set that included a number of new tunes. While not the talkative types, they were obviously pleased to return back to Manchester after last year’s tour. ‘Chinatown’, ‘Confirmation’ and ‘Gemini’ were the crowd pleasers, managing to gain a strong reaction from a somewhat dormant crowd. Energetic and punchy, the calm atmosphere spontaneously erupted with erratic dancing and unified “singing”. Disappointingly however, Wild Nothing’s new tracks distinctly lacked the dreary, fuzzy guitar-pop characteristics of their first album. Instead, Tatum has opted for heavy structure of keyboard and guitars that become more of a ‘wall of sound’ than their usual subtle levelling of tones and ‘textures’. This didn’t affect the overall show, but slightly left an air of uncertainty and tentativeness over the ‘next’ album. Ending on ‘Golden Haze’, a perfect choice, Wild Nothing’s intimate show was an entertaining one but one that lacked the mesmerising and striking ambience of their 2010 album.
Categories: Live Reviews
