Having ventured down a rather quiet and windy road from Dalston Kingsland Station, I found myself hesitantly opening a old pub door and was relieved to have my eyes and ears showered with a bustling expectancy for something special. I follow the corridor to the back of the venue and was given two choices: garden or gig door. Both options guaranteeing a moment of breath and reflection beyond the busyness inside. Unsurprisingly, and thankfully for the existence of this article, I chose the latter.
The music space at the back of what is most commonly known as “the shack” could only be described as a celebration of sound and expression that evening. The audience was notably quiet, almost as if everyone had collectively taken a breath which they perhaps did not realise they were holding in.
My ears were first graced by My Mercury. The lead vocal bought a Leonard Cohen type feel to the sound with its low, storytelling qualities, whilst the harmonies and angelic octaves that paired with it brought this warm lift that guided the band to a sense of home in its surrounding feeling of warm memory. I especially enjoyed the song “Paradise”, which features in their latest EP. They give space to the lyrics and dancing harmony lines through the mellow and steady bass and drum parts, which hold and compliment their gentle electric and soft indie sound.
Following a quick pause and serious life advice discussion with strangers in the girls’ bathroom (oh, the joys of being a woman), the next band got ready to play.
The Glowworms were on next and glow they did! They have this ability to create a gentle ember of sound that the lap steel guitar and psychedelic type slides on the second guitar capture very well. Their performance of the most recent release “eastbay (ships in the)” was a charming electric rendition that seemed to transport the whole room into this calm feeling of belonging. This is what good music is all about – connecting with those around you and also connecting with yourself. The Glowworms celebrated this power that music holds with their sweet melodies and lyrics of future nostalgia.
At this point, the room was growing rather busy and sweaty, but this was no deterrent for the incredible headline performance which followed.
Family Stereo held the room in their grip immediately with their “folkish rockery”, as they call it. The set opened with the drummer plucking away at the mandolin hidden behind the elegant arch that sits mystically half way across the stage. This complimented Blake’s Adrianne Lenker type fingerpicking (a big influence, according to Blake himself). The band had this pure and gentle folk energy which was then married with this 90s indie-rock edge which brings variety and musical richness without compromising the transcendent, mellow sound. A charming and memorable moment was when all the band sang some great harmonies while Blake continued with his main guitar and vocal. This was almost reminiscent of “Archie, Marry Me” by Flyte which I saw live a few years ago at KOKO, Camden. By this way of breaking up the set, there was a moving sanctity that washed over the space which was then metamorphosed into a new sense of peace and inner joy when the full band resumed with their primary instruments. Then in the song “Early Promise”, a fan favourite, the lower, buttery vocal from the bassist gorgeously brought soft light to the stunning lyricism. The band clearly has the connection and range for a full and exciting set, which consequently had the audience completely hooked. The most lyrically rich song of all, in my opinion, is “Matter”. The wordplay of matter, referring both to literal substance and the concept of value and meaning, clearly demonstrates Family Stereo’s natural ability to pinpoint the complexity of the human experience and the beautiful moments that we share in between. With the rocky bridge and then stripped back finish, this was the perfect song to close what was a beautiful evening of music at The Shacklewell Arms.
It was a great moment to celebrate Family Stereo’s fantastic new release “Down The Line” and share some beautiful music moments in a great venue! These are definitely some upcoming artists to look out for!
I implore you to go and follow these wonderful musicians to hear their latest songs and upcoming gig info:
@familystereo
@the.glowworms
@mymercurymusic
