Live Review: Have/Hold, Chores, Bush League, Looks Like Rain

At first glance it would be easy to dismiss Looks Like Rain as a novelty. In reality their eccentric combo of guitar, drums and tenor sax works a treat: the guitar covers the lower end of the spectrum (with the help of dropped tuning and an octave pedal), while the saxophonist, looking a bit like a diminutive Jemaine Clement, takes care of the licks and solos that a lead guitarist might otherwise deliver. Combined with some excellent drumming (and despite the over-prominence of the guitar in the sound mix) there’s plenty here to like.

On the other hand, we’re not really feeling Bush League tonight, to be honest. Longhaired and loud, they strike us as a bit like a dubious mix of '80s metal and noughties emo, with shouty-melodic vocals a la British India’s Declan Melia. They are skilful musicians and engaging enough, but their set is only halfway through by the time we’re starting to wonder what’s next.

The answer to that question is fuzz pop trio Chores, who do their damnedest to get the party restarted. Looking a bit like a Weezer covers band — the bass player has dweeb-chic down to a tee — Chores gradually win us over with their relentless hooks and infectious melodies, set against a veritable wall of drums and distortion. A new song proves to be the highlight, containing a long musical intro, with chiming guitar and precise drumming laying the foundation for some big power chord explosions. The only downside to this anthem in waiting is that the vocal ultimately gets a bit lost in the mix.

The singer from Looks Like Rain joked earlier that the theme for tonight was “bands playing new songs”. True to that theme, hardworking hard rockers Have/Hold bust out a bunch of new tunes, alongside a number of tracks from the King Salt LP that they dropped only last August. The sound mix for the headliners is right on the money, with the cymbal crashes, surging guitars and massive vocals stacked wall to wall and floor to ceiling: basically their set sounds like a stadium show crammed into a pub, while keeping every nuance of the instrumentation and well-defined melodies intact. The newer stuff goes off a treat, but the by now well familiar The Old Country from King Salt is undeniably the highlight, bringing the night to an anthemic climax.