Liverpool quintet Outfit have been on our radar ever since
their run of shows supporting the indefatigable Everything Everything on their
February UK tour. Since then they have been tantalising fans by uploading album
demos for a few hours at a time throughout the spring, and the finished article,
in the form of debut record Performance,
will be released next week.
If, like us, you’re feeling delirious from the improbable
heatwave hitting the UK, this album will not do much to quell the delirium - if
anything, it is more likely to enhance it. Performance
is transformative in several respects: whether you’re after a bad-dream
kind of ambience, some Eastern vibes or party atmospherics, this record will
take you there. Not only does Performance move up and out in this
manner, but also forwards and backwards; while ‘Spraypaint’ evokes comparisons
with Tears For Fears and company, album closer ‘Two Islands’ could not be more
current, sure to be heard in hip high-street clothes stores the world over.
The title track, nestled in the middle of the album, is a
refreshing moment of clarity in amongst the madness. A cautionary tale on the
now all-encompassing nature of performance, this track has Andrew Hunt
mournfully crooning “now everything echoes
the same way”. It is clear that to Outfit, the idea of performance is not
just a lyrical touchstone but something that permeates the record in numerous
ways. “All the world’s a stage” Shakespeare once wrote, and the band have taken
this old adage to heart, creating percussion out of DVD drives, snowy footfall
and snooker balls among others.
This is a bold debut; Outfit have cultivated a sound borne
of confidence and imagination, a combination which many bands don’t manage to
achieve this quickly. Performance is
a delightfully chameleon record that will, if there is any justice in the
world, turn many heads. For those who embrace the adventure on this album,
there are many rewards to be had.
8/10
