Live Review: Manatees

Live Review: Manatees
Support: Over the Wall, Mt.
Venue: 93 Feet East, London
Date: 9/04/09

A showcase for the impressive variety of artists that have had releases put out by Motive Sounds, tonight’s show promises an eclectic selection of delights. First up is Mt., a band making slow and steady progress to moving mountains, if you’ll excuse the very appropriate, but still unforgivably terrible pun. Unfamiliar with them and their sound at first, the band do a good job of impressing with their just about unique take on the post-rock stable, intertwining textured melodies with the odd bracing round of vocal choruses.

Next up is Over the Wall, who are fortunately very aware that those here tonight to see headliners Manatees might not get along with their sound so much. Not that they are shit – far from it in fact, as the two Glaswegian men on stage take us through a bizarre journey, some form of unhinged musical comedy act that at no point takes itself seriously. Which is just as well really, given the nature of their show – a laptop acts as a gloriously cheesy drummer, whilst Ben Hillman and Gav Prentice take advantage of some impressive multi-instrumentalism which puts a few smiles on some shady faces. Although the joke doesn’t go over well to some, the band play up to their somewhat unfortunate support slot, and are certainly the kind of happy-go-lucky act that might appeal to bigger audiences soon.

But when Manatees come on it’s no surprise the jokes are forgotten. We all know why we’re here – to have masses of shit soaked sludge spewed out at us from the tiny stage, and in a lot of respects the trio are more than happy to provide. Although it’s a short set due to some unfortunate stage time delays, they manage to provide a rough and ready guide to where they’ve come from, and what their new album ‘Icarus, the Sunclimber’ is capable of live.

There are a few regrettable moments that just don’t come across as well live as they do on the new album. ‘Out of the Sky, Into the Gutter’ loses the feedback screams that punctuate its unforgiving riff, not for the want of trying. And indeed, there seems to be a certain heaviness that is lacking from everything, as if this small venue is just unable to provide the power that courses through the album’s veins, but this is little fault of the band.

Manatees are doing a grand job of suggesting a real sense of heavyweight righteousness. There are areas to improve upon, but tonight’s show gives them a chance to throw it all out there, and the crowd is more than receptive to the rumbling effects of the sludge being poured over them. Tonight we just wish for a little more power, a little more oomph to throw us all out of the room, but with time that is sure to come.

Michael Copus