Young Knives + Ralfe Band, O2 Academy, Birmingham 06/11/13
Young Knives Ralfe band are a three piece band of misfits, but that’s what makes them so charming. Their filled their music with accordion effects that only added to the suspense building nature of their story-telling songs. Mid-set front man Oly Ralfe swapped the keys for an acoustic guitar as their set took a detour down folk lane. Up tempo percussion teamed with the delicate strings made for the perfect mid-week wind-down.
Ralfe Band Taking a song from Bunny and the Bull, Ralfe Band showed they are anything other than conventional as the pace took rather a chaotic turn. They criss-crossed between folksy strings and piano laden soul throughout their set, making for a tight musical performance that really showed their talent as they filled the tiny venue with sounds far greater than their surroundings. Experimenting with what-you-can-get-your-hands-on instruments their sound had a home-grown, experimental feel – and it was a winner with the crowd. Clanging a kettle bell with a megaphone in toe, Young Knives crashed onto the stage, sending vibrations throughout the ears of eager listeners. Futuristic keys and controlled percussion added to their cosmic introduction.
Young Knives ‘We Could Be Blood’ had a mellow start which led up to an absolutely ferocious musical chorus, as they whirred through foot-tap inducing percussion with echoing vocals and tight riffs. However, their set took a turn for the worse after pleading with fans, “buy our album, save us“. Their set turned into lashings of noise that verged on the unskilled as opposed to the musical technique we’re so used to hearing from them.
Young Knives Instead of toying with a few past Indie floor-filler hits that would have been a sure fire winner with the crowd, Young Knives stuck to recent album Sick Octave. Front man Henry Dartnall even joked about Muse in a bit of crowd interaction, claiming “Muse aren’t very good…but neither are we” as track ‘Something Awful’ from the album turned into somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Photographs by Jonathan Morgan.
