MOON IDLE + HARPER + LANA DEATH RAY – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 25.9.24
When local Brighton alt-rock band Moon Idle announced a headline show at The Green Door Store, it was straight onto my gig spreadsheet as a must-see. I’m pleased to say they not only lived up to my high expectations, but surpassed them.
Moon Idle are now a five piece. The band consists of Quilla Robinson (vocals, keyboard and guitar), Jasper Fergus (guitar) and Martin Eddington (bass). Trying not to sound like a sports commentator, Felix Burton has returned to the band on drums, while Elik Eddy moves from the traditional drum kit to conga drums along with guitar and percussion. Line up sorted, on with Wednesday night’s show.
At times, it was a more experimental sound from Moon Idle, than some of their previous performances. This was hinted at as the band tuned up for their set, especially with the distortion on Jasper’s guitar. He carried this into the band’s first song ‘Godzilla’. Quilla’s beautiful vocals portrayed so much emotion, as she sang the lyric “… take the pain away”. The next song ‘Seed’ was a softer number with Quilla’s amazing dreamlike vocals to the fore. There was also a slight staccato feel to the percussion and one of many special bass lines from Martin. The twinkling synth blended in well on this and other tracks.
After the two unreleased opening numbers, it was ‘The Avenue’ from their ‘Kindly’ EP. Starting with mystical keyboards, and later jangling guitars, this song rose and fell delicately with clever changes in pace. There seemed to be a very relaxed confident air about Moon Idle as they made those transitions seamlessly with ease. Those changes in the music, on this song and others in their set, further showcased Quilla’s vocal range and dexterity, as she matched the mood and pace of the music. Or was it the music matching her voice? Whichever way round the vocals and music were always in perfect harmony.
After ‘All The Same’, there was a step change in style and tempo with the new song ‘Girl In Blue’. The tempo may have increased but the magical quality remained and the dreamy keyboards added a mystical feel.
The beautiful delicate guitar, which started ‘Moments’ was very different from their opening number. It reminded me a little of the LA band Warpaint. The music almost became silent mid song as Quilla sang with minimal accompaniment. Her hauntingly beautiful vocals soared effortlessly as the music picked up later in that song.
Moon Idle’s more experimental side returned on ‘Delay Me’. It started with sci-fi space themed effects and Jasper’s clever use of the pedal board. The song structure developed with several skilfully arranged interlinked sections. The band were so tight musically as they changed tempo and volume. Particularly noticeable on ‘Delay Me’ was how well Quilla held those long notes.
‘Gone’ with its feedback and change in drumming at the start showed another of Moon Idle’s musical styles. There was a lot going on within this song, almost like an experimental jamming session, which all came together spectacularly.
Unsurprisingly there were chants of “one more song” from the captivated Green Door Store crowd. Moon Idle obliged with ‘Makeup’. Up to that point, there had been very little chat from the band, as they let their music do their talking. It was just the occasional “thank you” after the songs. Before playing ‘Makeup’, Quilla explained “We haven’t played it in a while”, adding “We were a four piece, now a five piece. This is the first time we’ve played this one with Elik.” On this track and throughout the set, his conga drums (think tall bongo drums) added a funkier Latin feel to Moon Idle’s sound. The wonderful soaring soundscape at the end of ‘Makeup’ was a perfect way to close a very special set.
Moon Idle gave one of the best performances I’ve seen this year. In my opinion it was their best I’ve had the pleasure to see. Based on Wednesday’s showing, Moon Idle have a very bright future, and are definitely one to watch.
You can catch Moon Idle supporting Black Market Karma on 17th October back at the Green Door Store (tickets HERE) and again supporting Bibi Club Music on 6th November at The Hope & Ruin (tickets HERE).
Moon Idle:
Quilla Robinson – vocals, keyboard and guitar
Jasper Fergus – guitar
Martin Eddington – bass
Felix Burton – drums
Elik Eddy – conga drums, guitar and percussion
Moon Idle setlist:
‘Godzilla’
‘Seed’
‘The Avenue’ (from 2023 ‘Kindly’ EP)
‘All The Same’
‘Girl In Blue’
‘Moments’ (from 2023 ‘Kindly’ EP)
‘Delay Me’
‘Gone’
Encore
‘Makeup’ (from 2023 ‘Kindly’ EP)
Opening for Moon Idle were Lana Death Ray, a five-piece rock outfit. One of their guitarists must have struck the whole range of rock guitarist poses during the set. They mixed up their classic rock sound with soft keyboards and some mellower songs. Their lead vocalist’s strong voice was a distinctive part of their sound. Whereas during one track, their keyboard player sang through a megaphone. Lana Death Ray closed with ‘Smile’ which they introduced as “a fans’ favourite”. This soft rock track showed the gentler side of Lana Death Ray, while its instrumental crescendo fittingly closed their set.
There was at least one person in the audience headbanging along from their opening number. Lana Death Ray’s set was enjoyed by several of those in early at The Green Door Store judging by the reception it received.
The second band on stage was Harper. A Brighton five-piece band fronted by singer and guitarist Calista Morgan. Just before the start of their set, it looked like it might be a solo set by Calista, as another band member quickly rounded up the rest of the band.
There was a soft folk feel to their confessional indie rock sound. Calista introduced one song as a little folk song written on a trip back to her parents in Newcastle. On ‘Think Of Me’ a new addition to their setlist, the contrasting styles between the bass and gentle guitar worked well with the soft, almost whispered, vocals. Those bass lines and the quality of Calista’s voice were a key feature throughout Harper’s set. A heavier guitar sound on their closing number ‘Betty’ was complimented well by those soft vocals. As the tempo of that track increased it took on an interesting country take.
I enjoyed Harper’s set. The “Beer Song Queens”, as they’ve described themselves, went down well with the audience and counterbalanced the rockier louder sounds of the opening band well.
www.instagram.com/harperband_/
