Sheffield Plug
For all things unconventional, few bands can beat Manchester's Everything, Everything. From the outset, they clearly have as much scant disregard for time signatures as they do pretentious entrances. Such sonic recklessness meant that they took time in finding their groove but when the synth-esque guitar married with keyboard for opener 'QWERTY Finger', it worked thrillingly. With the backing din finally sorted, attention fell to lead singer Jonathan Higgs and his bizarre vocal delivery. Like Marmite, his rapid, high-pitched voice can either blend into or take the focus away from tracks. Thankfully, 'Schoolin' escaped unscathed despite the cheeky whistling sample nipping in at the more opportune quiet moments. This could have been interpreted as camp yet the band certainly weren't delivering any tongue in cheek sensibilities. Indeed, at times they seem far too engrossed in their own performance with Higgs spending most of his performance with closed eyes.
Whilst the band seemed focused, it became amusing to see the crowd attempt to sing along when only one person in the room can hit the high notes, even when set to the soulful 80s chart pop of 'Leave The Engine Room'. That the band can switch from punk to math rock to pop and cover so many genres is both a talent and a hindrance given that the set never really found any momentum. Perhaps the previous night's excursions were to blame yet when Higgs admitted the band were suffering a mild hangover, without the admission many would have failed to notice.
Whether math rock or something far more humble, 'Final Form' impressed with concise, intricate guitar interplay at play until synths announced themselves to take the track to an ethereal new level. These are the moments to take away, when the band finally realise their potential and a crowd can realise how tight an outfit they are. A sombre Simon and Garfunkel-esque piano keys intro brought in 'Two For Nero' but pay attention to the lyrics and the track paints a darker picture of babies in centrifuges and environmental disaster. Though drums intervened, the harmonised vocals led to a touchingly solemn tone. A touch of glam was needed and 'MY KZ, YR BF' delivered with the band poised between camp 80s and sassy feminist pop. Quite the combination but then this track, like several others, cannot be simply categorised.
Adversely, 'Weights' sounded almost conventional with soothing drones and the shrill vocals in tune before a cataclysmic breakdown. Foreplay of cheeky guitar riffs brought in 'Suffragette Suffragette' before the track was left to hand out with a thrashing refrain. To an enthused crowd, the chorus was a treat with many adapting the lyrics to a lurid version of 'Who's going to sit on the fence when I'm not there', replacing fence with face.
The encore began with the comforting 'Tin (The Manhole)' before his vocals took a nasty, confrontational tone. To say that closing track 'Photoshop Handsome' sounds like a track to play Nintendo 64 along to would be a crass insult as the track encapsulated all that is great about Everything Everything. The danceable melodies, quirky lyrics and an engagingly eccentric approach to song structure complete with computer game quotes. Hit and miss but exceptionally unconventional to the end.