ME REX + TUMMYACHE + TV ROOM + TINMAN – THE HOPE & RUIN (UPSTAIRS & DOWNSTAIRS) , BRIGHTON 12.2.23
Based around the songwriting and deft lyrical prowess of Myles McCabe, ME REX play a quirky sort of indie pop that oscillates between sparkling beauty and heart-rending poignancy. Myles is also a guitarist in Fresh, and is joined in this project by Rich and Phoebe from Happy Accidents. The band, who are from London and Brighton, released a series of EPs named after dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and figures from mythology, followed by a debut album, ‘Megabear’ in 2021. Notable for comprising 52 short sections, all in the same key and with a similar beat, the collection is designed to be played on shuffle to produce a continuous piece of music that is different every time you hear it. The idea was novel enough to warrant a review in The Guardian, no less.
Tonight’s show is upstairs at The Hope & Ruin, courtesy of promoter Love Thy Neighbour. It’s the tenth consecutive night of a UK tour, so there’s no doubting the band’s tenacity and resilience, especially given that their idea of relaxation is to leave the tour van for a spot of cold water swimming en route to the next town. I was impressed when I caught them at ‘Mutations Festival‘ in November, playing at this same venue, and I’m looking forward to their set.
The promoters are certainly giving us a full evening’s entertainment. As well as a support act upstairs, there are two further bands playing a free entry show in the downstairs bar. The sets are slightly staggered, so we’ll try to give a flavour of what’s happening there too.
First up on upstairs is Tummyache, a vehicle for musician and producer Soren Bryce. Originally from Texas, she has since relocated to London. Bassist Linus was involved in some remote recording sessions for the album ‘Soak’, after which their relationship developed from musical collaboration to romance, and they are now partners. With Soren on lead vocal and guitar, they certainly have a chemistry on stage. The lineup is usually completed by second guitarist Bianka and Charlie on drums, but neither could be here tonight, so we have session drummer Max Revell ably deputising for this show.
Musically, the vibe reminds me of indie pop of the 1990s, with dreamy vocals and chorusy guitar. I rather like it. Opener ‘Holier Than Thou’ is a languid, lilting piece that builds slowly. Soren is providing all the guitar tonight, and seems to immediately regret having chosen a set that requires different tunings. She has an endearing awkwardness whilst trying to tune and chat to the audience, confiding that her new guitar amp broke before the show, which has thrown her slightly. ‘Knee Jerk’ is another number with a big build into a livelier middle section, and Soren seems to have settled down enough to throw a few cool shapes with Linus. The jangly intro of ‘Alive Again’ is underpinned with some high bass, played right up the neck, and features a rather lovely psych-tinged break. ‘Carbon Copy’ begins with some nice rhythm chords and quickly gets busy, with the players covering the stage and having a bit of fun.
‘Las Vegas’ is performed solo by Soren, with Linus sat watching, cross-legged on the stage. The guitar, a Telecaster lavishly decorated with pretty stickers, needs a different tuning and a capo, and will not co-operate. Soren is starting to look a bit flustered. “You can do it!” shouts a helpful audience member, to a big cheer. The final number is called ‘Pudding’, as it comes last, we’re told, and it’s a delicious confection of angular riffing. I’ve enjoyed tonight’s set and would be keen to experience a bit more Tummyache.
Tummyache (tonight):
Soren Bryce – vocals, guitar
Linus Fenton – bass guitar
Max Revell – drums
Tummyache setlist:
‘Holier Than Thou’
‘Knee Jerk’
‘Alive Again’
‘Carbon Copy’
‘Las Vegas’
‘Pudding’
I quickly make my way downstairs, and find that the bar is packed for Tinman, whose set is already underway. Usually a 7-piece, there are six players onstage tonight, tightly arranged in a corner. A bunch of young longhairs playing a rather gorgeous type of psychedelic indie folk, they look and sound great. The music is lush and full, with electric and acoustic guitar, washes of synth, and a bit of melodica for good measure. Set closer ‘Right Hand Man’ is particularly impressive, with some soaring slide.
What is surprising is that this is only their second gig, having debuted at The Green Door Store in January. Their next show is at The Prince Albert on Sunday 12th March, where they will be supporting Gift – Grab your tickets HERE. Based on what I’ve seen tonight, Tinman will be well worth checking out!
Tinman (tonight):
Austin – lead vocals, guitar, synth
Dan – acoustic guitar, synth
JP – guitar
Owen – drums
Hannah – percussion, melodica
Scott – bass
Tinman setlist:
‘Holy’
‘Lady By The Lake’
‘Aviation’
‘Musical Interlude’
‘Right Hand Man’
www.instagram.com/thebandoftinman
I head back up for ME REX, and I’m impressed that they’ve lured a sizeable crowd into buying a ticket and climbing the stairs. The three players take the stage and we’re straight into the superb ‘Toilet Of Venus’ (it’s a famous painting, in case you were wondering). The number is lively, fun and sad all at once, with rapid-fire bursts of delightfully poetic lyricism. Lead vocalist Myles is house left, busily alternating between his Jaguar guitar and a keyboard. House right, bassist Rich also has a small keyboard set up, and starts the set with his bass still on its stand. Centre stage is Phoebe, an energetic drummer who seems to move her whole body while she plays, reminiscent of one of those articulated figurines some people put on their car dashboard. Phoebe and Rich also supply lush layers of backing vocals. There’s a delicate breakdown on keyboard accompanying a plaintive line of “I will remember these as the best days of my life”, before the beat kicks back in and Myles gets busy with some manic hammer-ons up the neck of his guitar. It’s great stuff, and elicits a loud cheer.
After a bit of “bandmin” (band admin, sorting out monitor levels), we romp on with the brisk ‘Jupiter Pluvius’, which is driven along by a naggingly catchy guitar and keyboard figure. The title is the full name of the Roman God (the bringer of rain, amongst other things), and I can’t resist quoting an outstanding rhyming couplet from the chorus; “He’s one of the pantheon, he f*cks like a champion.” Rich straps on his bass and we get a medley of short segments from the ‘Megabear’ album. I think I recognise ‘Wandle’ and ‘Peckham Rye’, though with 52 tracks on the album all in the same key, I wouldn’t swear to it.
“So this is the last day of our ten day tour,” remarks Rich. “Are we tired? Yeah, we’re tired.” You wouldn’t know, as he and Myles dance energetically through ‘Never Graduate’ and the excellent ‘Heart Of Garbage’, with Myles getting some impressive air beneath his pogo-style leaps.
‘Giant Giant’ is introduced as a new number, and features some interesting stuttering snare rolls and an intoxicatingly wavy synth hook. We continue at full tilt for ‘Swingset’, whilst the slightly more reflective ‘True North’ still requires a tongue-twistingly quick-fire vocal delivery. ‘Robotswalkonwater’ starts with thudding kick drum, with Phoebe getting busy on the floor tom and dropping high-rise snare hits as the song progresses towards a soaring keyboard-led climax. Rich seems to be able to sound his bass guitar notes with his fretting hand while playing a twiddly keyboard line with his right hand, which strikes me as rather clever and dextrous.
‘Skin, It Itches’ builds steadily over a hugely impressive lyric. “It’s your old bedroom where you smoke like a car tyre on a pile of car tyre carcasses on a bonfire…” There’s a brief change of pace for ‘Flood’, with Myles begins by accompanying himself on keyboard while Rich sits cross-legged on the floor watching. Needless to say, the song builds towards a climax, with Phoebe hitting a trigger pad and Myles unleashing another burst of hammered-on lead guitar over big sweeps of synth. By the end he’s lying flat on his back on stage, still playing. The final number is the more introspective ‘Sinkhole’, with the appropriate lyrical motif of “Come tell me when you’ve had enough”.
Considering how tired the band must be after ten consecutive nights touring, that have put in a stunningly energetic and engaging performance tonight, and I’m very pleased to have witnessed it.
ME REX:
Myles McCabe – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Rich Mandell – bass, keyboards, vocals
Phoebe Cross – drums, vocals
ME REX setlist:
‘Toilet Of Venus’
‘Jupiter Pluvius’
‘Megabear’
‘Never Graduate’
‘Heart Of Garbage’
‘Giant Giant (Destruction Story)’
‘Swingset’
‘True North’
‘Robotswalkonwater (The Floor Is Made Of Lava)’
‘Skin, It Itches’
‘Flood’
‘Sinkhole’
It takes the crowd a little while to file out of the room, through the merch chicane and down the stairs. By the time I get myself into the downstairs bar, TV Room are well into their set. It’s a steady paced and thoughtful sort of indie rock, with a style that reminds me of Courtney Barnett. The songwriter and vocalist is London-based multi-instrumentalist Lucy Rushton, (who is also the drummer for Deep Tan), here playing a blue Strat, accompanied by Bridie on bass, plus a keyboard player and drummer whose names unfortunately I don’t catch. It’s an interesting and pleasant enough way to round off the evening, but I’m still buzzing from ME REX, and finding it all a little downbeat, so I decide to take advantage of the relatively early finish to catch myself a train home.
If you’d like to hear more from TV Room they have tracks on Bandcamp and YouTube, which can be found via their Linktree below.
