Photo: Attitude Is Everything/Facebook
The whirlwind of sound TOY manage to create: spiralling, driven, yet as loose as the wind, fits the ethos of this Club Attitude show.
As an event hosted by Attitude is Everything, a charity promoting gig access for disabled people - boundaries, in whatever form - are being shoved firmly toward the exit.
The quintet open with ‘Conductor’, a purely instrumental number from last year’s Join the Dots, that instantly lays bare their Neu! styled Krautrock influences; the catchy lyrics of jangly indie rock well and truly ditched in favour of moody guitar-builds and pounding tempo changes. Given that a number of the band are survivors of the ill-fated Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, this aversion to industry standard is hardly a surprise. Ironically however, it initially leaves the stageside interpreter, narrating for deaf members of the audience, somewhat redundant (aside from the occasional air guitaring).
But soon enough lead vocalist, Tom Dougall, makes his voice heard, swirling through the soundscapes in a dreamlike tone, whilst looking every bit like early Brian Molko. Lyrically it’s all very third eye and introspective, the line "My folks say I'm in my prime but I've been too long on the borderline" on ‘Left Myself Behind’, a perfect example.
These gothic tinges are also reflected sonically. Echoes of Martin Hannett’s sparse, industrial Joy Division sounds seep through at moments, in a way that feels less contrived than present day Horrors. That said, the new songs premiered, including ‘Dream Orchestrator’, point toward a similar synth-led evolution to Farris’ crew. A change that is sure to keep keyboard player, Alejandra Diez, busy. Fortunately, the extra layers meld better than some of the efforts on Horrors’ Luminous, Dougall’s delivery sounding forcibly more pronounced and suggests TOY may move into even more abstract Microfilm territory.
Bassist Maxim Barron and drummer Charlie Salvidge have a key role to play in keeping this noise in check, and manage well, making the band sound especially tight throughout the tempo changes on epic numbers ‘Motoring’ and ‘Join the Dots’. The latter builds typically through Salvidge’s drums as the guitars splutter to eventual release and exultation. The crowd get more than their money’s worth in the near 75 minute set, in an evening that opened many minds.
To support the work Attitude Is Everything visit attitudeiseverything.org.uk
