Live

Tubelord, Tall Ships

Christopher Upton 00/00/0000

After long journeys, the best part of returning home is that first night in your own bed, the warmth and comfort of which feels better than ever. After the long journey to their first release, Tubelord's reception here must surely be akin to getting back under your own duvet. As this homecoming is held in a club alongside the Thames, however, the blankets have a bit of a rough edge to them.

You can always tell it'll be a serious night when at the front door there's airport security measures, but McClusky's evidently isn't a club that worries about unnerving its patrons. Inside, the atmosphere is that of a dank Wetherspoon's with faux-thrones and a large empty dance floor that doesn't look very welcoming to newcomers. Tricky, then, for the first band, who are making their first visit here.

Coming from Falmouth, by way of Brighton, this is one of Tall Ships' biggest concerts to date; they are gaining momentum and slowly converting people to their experimental way of looking at things. Primarily an instrumental band they were part of what is a very small scene, punctuated only occasionally with bands like You Slut!, they are now trying to break out of this mould and this is the first night with lyrics for some of their material.

It's an assured and confident performance for the band and it's a testament to their draw that with such a large room they manage to fill up the empty dance floor, and despite a few deafening mishaps they obtain quite a few dancing stragglers. The use of various instruments and pedals creates a quite dizzying effect, watching the band rotate from instrument to instrument smashing all of them into life with crashes and electronic bleeps. The applause once they've finished suggests that their mosaic musical style has won over late night audience.

It's a rapturous reception when Tubelord step on stage, and even though this is the least likely place you'd imagine to house experimental math-rock intricacy, it goes down extremely well. New standards, He Awoke on a Beach in Abergavenny and Somewhere Out There a Dog is on Fire, are received lovingly as singer Joe's lyrics are shouted word perfect straight back at him