MY VITRIOL | LIVE REVIEW

MY VITRIOL | LIVE REVIEW

 

The Globe, Cardiff, Tuesday 11 Apr

Nu-gaze rockers My Vitriol are back on the road, but their gig at The Globe can’t have been the triumphant return they were craving. Formed in 1999, the London band quickly established a cult following thanks to an exciting debut album, Finelines, and support slots with the Manics, Muse, Feeder and Ash. They rode the crest of a wave into the new millennium, but at the peak of their promise they disappeared off the radar. Yet their fans haven’t forgotten them and the lure of hearing new material from The Secret Sessions combined with some old favourites reels them back in.

The group emerge from the shadows into a suitably moody back-lit ambience, but any quick-fire momentum dissipates once three new tracks are played successively. Whilst decent songs, a classic track off Finelines would’ve ignited the crowd far better. What is immediately apparent is the sludgy sound. One minute it feels like being submerged underwater, the next the crackling amps are akin to me practising guitar in my bedroom (albeit without my arthritic soloing speed).

It’s a shame, too, as there’s nothing wrong with singer Som Wardner’s six-string skills. The gig doesn’t feature their full electric lineup, and the aim is to instead create a more intimate, stripped-back sound. This experiment obviously hasn’t come without its teething problems, and it leaves the band hamstrung, especially considering their grungy guitars were their calling card in the first place.

There’s not a lot of camaraderie with the crowd, either, with a noticeable ‘no man’s land’ in place between band and spectators. Grounded, Kohlstream and Cemented Shoes are well received, but even then it’s only with polite nodding of heads and there’s not a hint of a moshpit all night. The Gentle Art of Choking is strangely absent, but there is a nice cover of Leadbelly’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night, which summons fond memories of Nirvana’s Unplugged album. Unfortunately, it’s only a snippet which is all the more frustrating when the more superfluous Nightcall by Kavinsky gets a full airing in the encore.

My Vitriol do leave their best until last, with Alpha Waves seamlessly melding into Always: Your Way. That should end the evening on a high, but the obscure choice of cover for the encore concludes an underwhelming return.

words NEIL COLLINS