Get Inuit @ SXSW 2016 (Photo: Paul Bachmann for Live4ever Media)
In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero lures Antonio and King Alonso to the remote island with a storm, The Tempest. In Manchester on Tuesday night (April 26th), there was a new storm brewing.
The lure this time is Get Inuit, only it’s not their accents or funny southern ways that are bringing them attention, it’s their attitude. On record the band have proved to be inventive, exciting and witty. Their 90’s alt-rock influenced sound and sharp tongues have created some brilliant singles. But this gig isn’t about moments, it’s about a complete experience.
The storm they bring is full of immediacy and colour. They launch into tracks, fast and lithe, the nuance less important than their energy. The singer’s desire to entertain takes over, and the band follow his lead.
What makes this exciting is, where other bands fear for their image, or are trying to make a statement, Get Inuit are simply making music. And their enjoyment is apparent; the songs seem to fall out of them, and the crowd can’t help but be carried along with the storm.
For Get Inuit it seems like rock is just a hat you pull tricks out of. They’re twisting anything they find in there to suit their skewed take on indie-rock. It’s a wonderfully playful way to perform. It’s a surfing, shoe-gazing, jangling mess. Up and down. Pounding and beating. Jubilant and uplifting. For a band that sounds so youthful, this confidence and flamboyance is wonderful to see.
Tracks like ‘Mean Heart’ and ‘My Oh My’ are wonderfully exciting indie-stormers, but it’s when they shift gears that the ground really begins to shake. ‘Electricity’ is a powerful statement for a young band, only it seems they might not have realised it yet. Its swell and release packs real punch live, more than expected, and that’s a truly wonderful thing at a live show. ‘I Would’ just takes the roof off, it’s a burst of thunder and lightning amidst the chaos. It crackles, then lights up the stage, then slowly fades into the distance. The fury of the storm abates.
When all is done, silence hangs heavy with the moments that went before. There is an echo of youth misspent, and good times being had. Get Inuit brought their own particular storm to Manchester, a city that’s seen its share of them over the years. This might not have been the biggest storm to ever hit, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting.
Get Inuit enjoy playing live, and people enjoy watching bands who enjoy playing live, which makes a band who enjoy playing live enjoy playing live more and…and round it goes. It’s a circle of trust that Get Inuit have built brick by brick.
No one can predict the future, so instead let’s just enjoy the moment, and it’s been one hell of a moment. Live music is meant to sound alive, and with Get Inuit it’s not only alive but running amok due to too much sugar and a serious case of ADHD.
In their hands music might not be safe, but god it’s fun.