Riveting
Alisdair Grice
13:11 3rd March 2022

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As Jenna Kyle’s (Bleach Lab’s vocalist) gaze moves upward from her mic stand to the audience and eventually to the ceiling, we slowly realise that perhaps Bleach Lab are trying to extract themselves from any shoegaze labels and exist in the world of dream pop, a title which they rightfully earn tonight. Having embarked on a tour to showcase 2021's Nothing Feels Real EP, the south Londoners find themselves not at all far from home, and even closer to their music than ever before.

Kyle’s gilded voice decorates each fuzzed-out, heady track with a luscious veil, whilst her band tightly manoeuver their labyrinthine melodies with ease. Bleach Lab are known to rivet crowds with their hazy dream pop, and they know how to do it well.

Guitarist Frank Waters lays his soul bare on the fretboard, lacing intricate melodies together on his baby pink Rickenbacker, forging considerate replies to Kyle’s elegant words. Beginning with ‘Violet Light’, Bleach Lab propel into action with remarkable facileness, keeping up their ethereal momentum with a discography-spanning setlist.

The set is an amalgam of deep cuts (including their 2019 single ‘Heartache of the Season', one of the band’s first-ever published tracks) and endearing sing-alongs, where Kyle brings a novel spite to this rendition of 'Real Thing', lacing her words with equal parts grit and heartbreak. It's evident there is a large presence of the band’s friends in the crowd, which contributes to a wholly community-led feel. After all, this is not only a hometown show, it’s also in the south of London, the band’s HQ.

The south Londoners see out the set with the heavenly, brooding ‘Flood’, swelling into a heat of suffusing noise that acts a stark contrast to the pop sway of their earlier set. There is a feeling of elation in the room, brought out by what we have bared witness to. Although Kyle’s stage presence doesn’t encourage audience movement, it feels as though we are united through unspoken, mutual tranquillity.

The Omeara is a venue that imbues a dark magical quality into each act that graces its stage. Bleach Lab are blessed by the confined yet intimate setting that skews their sound to a more ballad-rock angle, with Kyle’s gossamer lullabies float freely through the space. The gig showcases Bleach Lab as a musically formidable act but leaves a residual appetite for more performative elements to bring more vibrancy to each moment.

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Photo: Press