Slaves on the 2015 NME Awards Tour (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever)
The NME Awards tour is synonymous with NME’s vision; this isn’t a night about the newest or ‘hottest’ (awful term) bands around.
Typically NME always appear to be going for something grander, it’s almost their attempt to define the times. Tonight is no different. It’s an impressive line-up, while not being an obvious one. All the bands worthy of note. So, to put some kind of order on things, let’s start with the least and head towards the most exciting, as it were.
Oddly it’s headliners Palma Violets who come out at the bottom. This is a difficult one to explain, as the reality is that they storm the stage and truly give an exciting performance, which just shows how arbitrary this ranking is, but they suffer for two minor reasons when placed up against the three other bands.
Firstly, they have already done the tour, in fact done it as the young guns stealing the bigger bands’ thunder. As such, that British passion for the underdog shines through. Secondly, there is a cleanliness to their sound. They are bombastic, and anthemic, but up to this point the evening had been lascivious and sleazy, steeped in murky, distorted guitars and vocals. Somehow they just lack the filthy sexual thrust of the others on the bill.
Next on this totally subjective list is Wytches. Again, another unfair ranking as they perform brilliantly, tearing through their tracks and doing enough in the tiny amount of time they have to leap the headliners for interest. But their only shackle is the time they have. Barely any time at all really – it’s always the one infuriating part of the NME Tour. Yet, despite this they are phenomenal. The raw energy literally pours out of them, and their sound is so authentically linked to the early 90’s alternative scene that you can’t help but wonder how such young musicians have such an understanding of this music. They are single headedly resuscitating the spirit of bands like Sonic Youth and Mudhoney, blow by blow.
Then come Slaves. A tough one to call, against Wytches, but they sneak it just for the utter pandemonium of what they bring to the stage. Also, the contentious nature of their image, humour and lyrical content adds a certain something to the night. It’s impossible to get a handle on them, or exactly where they are coming from. Like playing a game of chicken, the excitement comes from not knowing what the other is about to do, and just how far they are willing to go. And tonight the crowd definitely blinks first, and Slaves leave as winners.
Fat White Family on the 2015 NME Awards Tour (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever)
Which leaves Fat White Family. They can do lascivious with their eyes shut, it’s seems so simple for them. They put the ‘eaze’ into sleaze. Their inventiveness and brash confidence is captivating. With their usual cacophonous style of entrance, they sort of shamble onto the stage, and attempt to destroy it plank by plank. At some point this chaos will sadly become a cliché, but not yet, this is still utter chaos. Songs are barely recognisable, but always pulsating and exciting. What they do to their own material is scandalous. They make no attempt to match expectations, or engage the crowd. With Fat White Family the crowd just has to let go and fall into it.
As a night of music it’s almost faultless. And it must be said this ordering bares no relation to anything except as someway of differentiating between four exceptional bands. All were brilliant.
But, as the saying goes, primes inter pares. Like the pope himself someone has to lead the masses in prayer, and tonight at least it was Fat White Family.
