Seeing the Mystery Jets has always been a goal of mine, because I've been listening to them since way back in 2008: the announcement that they were playing a small set in Marlborough, a mere fifteen minutes away from my house, meant there was no possible reason that I was going to miss their show.
Because of how excited I'd been, I didn't feel annoyed at all when issues with the sound system caused a 45 minute delay, but with a large amount of the crowd leaving the building you could tell not everyone felt the same way. If this set hadn't been in Marlborough there definitely would have been booing, but the audience was far too polite and calmly waited through a soundcheck that seemed to last for about an hour.
When the band eventually did start they were highly apologetic, despite the fact that the issues hadn't been their fault and were completely out of their control. Introducing the band, they announced "we're so happy to be here to see so many happy, half angry, people...", quipping "you'll be asking for a refund. I would be, Jesus," (hilarious when you consider that this show was free entry).
First song 'Telomere' did not get off to a smooth start, with the vocal being almost inaudible above the other instruments. Despite the issues the guitar work was very intriguing, and with their retro, chilled-out vibe it was impossible not to relax into their set and enjoy their music.
Their set focused upon the songs from their newest release, 'Curve of the Earth', which came out on Friday. Playing the aforementioned 'Telomere', as well as 'Bubblegum' and 'The End Up', it was really great to get a taste of the album in such an intimate environment. 'Bubblegum' is the danciest of the three: keyboard-heavy with a trippy sound that transports you back to a time long past. 'The End Up' was very slowed down, almost lullaby-esque in its gentle, soothing sound - playing it right after 'Someone Purer', the most upbeat song they performed, really showed off the full range of their songs. I've purchased the album and am planning on listening to it in full (and potentially reviewing it) at some point over the next few days - hopefully the rest of the songs will be as good as these three.
The band finished with a cover of David Bowie's 'Five Years', and after quizzing the audience on which five Bowie songs hit number one in the UK, the band performed a brilliant tribute to a legendary man. I hadn't heard the original song before, but I really enjoyed their cover - even if there was a lot of screeching feedback throughout that made it quite uncomfortable to listen to.
While there might have been sound issues and delays galore, I'm still really glad that I went along to this show, because Mystery Jets are very good live. Hopefully I'll be able to see more of them in the future, because after this taste I'm sure it would be very fun to see a longer set.
Because of how excited I'd been, I didn't feel annoyed at all when issues with the sound system caused a 45 minute delay, but with a large amount of the crowd leaving the building you could tell not everyone felt the same way. If this set hadn't been in Marlborough there definitely would have been booing, but the audience was far too polite and calmly waited through a soundcheck that seemed to last for about an hour.
When the band eventually did start they were highly apologetic, despite the fact that the issues hadn't been their fault and were completely out of their control. Introducing the band, they announced "we're so happy to be here to see so many happy, half angry, people...", quipping "you'll be asking for a refund. I would be, Jesus," (hilarious when you consider that this show was free entry).
First song 'Telomere' did not get off to a smooth start, with the vocal being almost inaudible above the other instruments. Despite the issues the guitar work was very intriguing, and with their retro, chilled-out vibe it was impossible not to relax into their set and enjoy their music.
Their set focused upon the songs from their newest release, 'Curve of the Earth', which came out on Friday. Playing the aforementioned 'Telomere', as well as 'Bubblegum' and 'The End Up', it was really great to get a taste of the album in such an intimate environment. 'Bubblegum' is the danciest of the three: keyboard-heavy with a trippy sound that transports you back to a time long past. 'The End Up' was very slowed down, almost lullaby-esque in its gentle, soothing sound - playing it right after 'Someone Purer', the most upbeat song they performed, really showed off the full range of their songs. I've purchased the album and am planning on listening to it in full (and potentially reviewing it) at some point over the next few days - hopefully the rest of the songs will be as good as these three.
The band finished with a cover of David Bowie's 'Five Years', and after quizzing the audience on which five Bowie songs hit number one in the UK, the band performed a brilliant tribute to a legendary man. I hadn't heard the original song before, but I really enjoyed their cover - even if there was a lot of screeching feedback throughout that made it quite uncomfortable to listen to.
While there might have been sound issues and delays galore, I'm still really glad that I went along to this show, because Mystery Jets are very good live. Hopefully I'll be able to see more of them in the future, because after this taste I'm sure it would be very fun to see a longer set.
Setlist:
Telomere
Bubblegum
Young Love
Someone Purer
The End Up
Five Years cover
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