THE GULPS + MODERN GUILT + THE KURFEW – THE LOWER THIRD, LONDON 15.2.23
Until tonight I hadn’t heard a solitary note by The Gulps, but they were recommended to me by someone who’s musical taste I trust, so I thought I’d see what the fuss is about and headed to The Lower Third, which is located at 26 Denmark Street, London, WC2H 8NJ.
First though, we have not one, but two support acts, and the first of those is The Kurfew. They are purveyors of tuneful, punchy indie rock, which largely manages not to sound generic. Having said that, ‘This Town (Drags Me Down)’ sounds a bit like a Libertines outtake. ‘Leanne’, which was their first single, is a strumalong ballad during which the bassist takes a break. The Kurfew’s set is a bit problematic. The drummer’s playing is quite uncertain for most of the set, and his fills sometimes sound as if they’re going to run away with him. Likewise, the bassist delivers the occasional undeniably bum note. A bit more rehearsal needed before they gig again methinks. Altogether their sound is a bit thin, as if they could perhaps do with an additional guitarist.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. ‘Taste Of Your Love’ is particularly good, with a nice sinewy bassline. The drumming is much better too. This is definitely their best song so far. ‘What I Saw’ is another banger. One day the chorus will inspire mosh pits, and again the drumming is more assured. Perhaps they’d been playing the last two songs for longer. I think it’s probably best to view The Kurfew as very much a work in progress. Keep at it lads.
Find them on Spotify.
Next up are Modern Guilt, who are London based. They are one of those bands who it’s not easy to categorise outside of being a ‘rock’ band. Opener ‘Double Denim’ commences with portentous keyboards which gives it almost a prog feel. Vocalist Jaz greets us with “hello Soho”, which just sounds ineffably cool. ‘Talking To Myself’ has very much a Stonesy feel to it. They demonstrate the step up between the opening act and main support act. They could easily headline, I’d certainly see them. Indeed, they are playing at Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney on 25th February – Tickets HERE.
During ‘Shadow Boxer’ guitarist Andreas Podda briefly films the band on his phone. The song has an utterly cataclysmic rock ending. This is cliched perhaps, but nonetheless effective. They cover Babybird’s ‘You’re Gorgeous’ (or a snippet thereof) before going into the fabulously riffy ‘Joy Control’. Their set ends with an instrumental outro which could easily have been titled ‘keyboards and guitar in excelsis’, which it isn’t of course. They get called back for an encore, unusual for a support band, at the end of which Jaz throws down his guitar: very rock ‘n’ roll! Modern Guilt: remember their name. You’ll be shouting for them in the not too distant future.
Find them on Bandcamp.
Now it’s time for The Gulps. They are a truly international band: frontman Javier Sola and guitarist Juan Carlos Ruiz are both from La Rioja, Spain; bassist Simon Mouchard is from Nantes in France, rhythm guitarist Francesco Antonio Buffone is from Calabria in Italy, and drummer Raoul Khayat is from Beirut in Lebanon. They are based in Camden though, so we can call them a London band.
There does seem to be a real buzz about The Gulps, and tonight really feels like an event. Let’s hope that they live up to expectations. There are a lot of young women around the front of the stage. I must confess that I feel a bit jealous, and quite old!!! The impression that I get is that three singles in, this band might just be on the edge of breaking big.
Vocalist Javier reminds me of Ruts singer Malcolm Owen. The band has a very definite punk edge about them. I have to say that their singles are not representative of their live act. Their stage sound has far more oomph! than their studio recordings. Live they have far more energy and vitality. For ‘Candy’ they are joined by a drag artiste called Cassandra, who jumps into the audience at one point. I guess ‘her’ appearance onstage has some relevance to the song’s lyrics, maybe! ‘Freedom To The People’ is very punky, whilst ‘Mirror Mirror’ has a few bars of reggae. Very occasionally they sound like a cross between early U2 and mid to late 1990s Irish band Whipping Boy.
A (possibly drunk) audience member joins the band onstage. They welcome him. Most other bands would have booted him back into the audience. ‘I’m The King Of The Disco’ has a similar chord sequence to The Who’s ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’. Overall though the song is more in Warmduscher territory.
The Gulps are one of the best live bands that I’ve seen for a long time. The drum kit sounds the best that it has all night, which is quite instructive. Some bands seem to have been constructed specifically for the stage, as if it’s their natural habitat. Unfortunately they have no dates arranged at the moment, but when they do, don’t hesitate – buy tickets!!!
