Could you give us a tap?
Tilly and The Wall have been recent festival favourites in the UK and although they’ve always put on an entertaining and breezy show, theres always been the thought that their show has lost something due to the open air. The chance to see the band indoors in a darkened venue came with their headline performance at King Tuts and it has to be said, the enclosed nature of the gig added a little more oomph to their show.
Of course, playing to a partisan crowd who know and love the material as opposed to a bunch of curious onlookers would also have made a difference to the bands set list and with the cheers that greeted songs from the older albums, there was a marked difference in how the band was going about their business. They are effortlessly charming and having three good looking ladies at the front of a stage is never going to harm a band but the interaction with the crowd made everyone feel involved and carried the band through some of the lighter moments that occurred during the set.
Playing a cover version that is already associated with another act is not the best way to grab attention but the band managed to give it a twist and make it a highlight of the set. ‘A Little Respect’ from Erasure may have had a revival in the more recent times with Wheatus but thankfully Tilly and The Wall ditched the whiney loser American vibe that they chumps put on it and went for a more uplifting vibe. There is something positively cheery and upbeat that flows from Tilly and The Wall anyway which makes most of their show a joy to watch even if the songs are unknown, so when something a bit more familiar comes into view and hearing, its going to work like a treat. The crowd certainly approved anyway.
It would be easy to praise or dismiss the band purely on their quirkiness and difference from what is deemed to be a conventional act but if they didn’t have the quality of songs, they would be viewed purely as a gimmick and would be ran out of town quickly. Recent single ‘Pot Kettle Black’ and other material from latest album ‘o’ indicates the band have a whole lot more going for them and although its unlikely they will ever break beyond indie level recognition, they make a lot of people happy and that’s good enough reason to have them around.