Sunday 17 July 2016

Review: LUK // Clwb Ifor Bach // 16.06.16

'And Now For Something Completely Different...' is a film by british comedy giants Monty Python, in it the film jumps from unrelated skit to unrelated skit and yet still seems to, in some way or another, be related. Occasionally you get a gig like this where all the acts are completely different and yet seem to fit together, this is what the Cardiff crowd were treated to at LUK's gig.

The night opened with Chew, a grime MC from Blackwood. Spitting aggressive and unapologetic bars his sound slots somewhere inbetween Sleaford Mods and Skepta. Unlike many budding grime and hip-hop artists however, Chew had something to say with his music. In between the brief moments of "yeahs" and "my bars are sick" there was a genuine message of distaste for the establishment. Not only did a young anarchist come out but also an interesting commentary on life - this comes across most prominently in 'I Am Proud', a song produced by Equlibrium, which is also some of Chew's best work and is available on his free EP 'The MattheMattical Problem'.


The The 1975-esc Atterbury & Gibbz came up next. The bands melancholy sound is one that's very current but don't for one second think they're a carbon copy, they have a much sparser and less pop-like sound with music that slots somewhere between modern indie and the odd bit of deep house. It's a deadly combination and one that gives Atterbury & Gibbz more of a musical appeal than the pop driven The 1975.

Having gone from hip-hop beats to an electronic indie sound the gig ends halfway between with LUK. Their experimental, beat heavy electronic tracks and deep vocals show the darker side of electro-indie which fluctuates between smooth and jarring. Early on in the set LUK's experimental edge came through before they closed on two more polished tracks which they worked on with producer Lee House. These seemed a lot smoother, cohesive and direct in their approach and sound like the future of LUK.

All three very different artists gave a lesson in Cardiff on the diversity and quality of young, up & coming music and really delivered good solid performances.

-Luke

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