LIVE - TALL SHIPS @ THE RAINBOW 14/10/12

To combat the rapidly falling temperatures that are upon us, I headed for the warmth of the Rainbow in Birmingham to see Tall Ships tour their debut album Everything Touching. The first act, Wax Futures, were the musical equivalent of an electric heater, harnessing the pure energy of punk rock and transmitting it in waves over the audience. This Telford trio were a tad unpolished but their set was full of promise, choosing the "fast and furious" mode of delivery which did not go unrewarded by those who watched them. 

Constant Waves, the second act on, took a rather different approach, going for atmosphere instead of in-your-face immediacy. The end result was extremely impressive, with excellent musicianship in all areas combining to make a sound not dissimilar to Mogwai-esque post-rock. The band have an EP coming out in the coming months and it will be interesting to track their progress.

The main support, Dad Rocks!, made for a surprising yet pleasant foil to the loudness that had come before. Albertsson and friends filled the room with a folk-pop hybrid sound, with such poignant tracks as the one about "when I found out that my girlfriend was having sex with Edward Cullen in her head". There is humour in abundance here but it is not just humour for humour's sake; it's the kind that makes you examine yourself and the world you live in. 

Finally it was time for the arrival of Tall Ships, who have been attracting a fair amount of attention in the build-up to the release of their debut record last week. The complexity of the material that they create has the potential to provide a stumbling block in terms of recreating the sound in a live setting, but the trio seem to have overcome this with ease, and as a result they really do pack a punch live. Intricate looping guitars scythed through the air during 'Plate Tectonics' and a lusty crowd sing-along made for a fitting ending to long-time fan favourite 'Vessels'. The new tracks went down just as well; 'Gallop' and 'Oscar' were particular highlights. The band finished their set with the gargantuan 'Murmurations', a nine-minute masterpiece with the most teasing, tantalising build-up transforming into a triumphant crescendo. There was no other way to end the show; Tall Ships started big, and finished even bigger. One cannot help but feel that their fledgling career is on the same trajectory. 

ALBUM: TALL SHIPS - EVERYTHING TOUCHING

If for some reason you haven’t heard of Tall Ships yet, then shame on you. Ric, Matt and Jamie have been kicking about for a while now, supporting great acts such as We Are Scientists, and they have been concocting their debut LP throughout 2011. After whetting our appetite with lead singles ‘T=0’ and ‘Gallop’, we can now find out if the band have built on the promise of their first two EPs.

And in fact this hope is fulfilled, in quite a literal way, by ‘Ode To Ancestors’ and ‘Books’, tracks that have already appeared on the There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here EP and Tall Ships EP respectively. What were once rough diamonds have now been polished to the max, and they are all the better for it. ‘Ode To Ancestors’ starts off softer than its predecessor and by the end of track is much, much bigger, with pounding drums adding to the cumulative vocal harmonies and dancing melodies. On ‘Books’ the band enlisted the help of any fan that could make it to a primary school near their Brighton base to create a mammoth of a vocal track, with quite possibly the biggest chorus in the world ever.

The DIY choir also feature on closing track ‘Murmurations’ which is a real masterclass of songcraft. The song starts with a pitter-patter of electronic beats which turns into a thudding metronome which is joined by a single guitar which is then joined by … you get the idea. This painstaking layering eventually erupts into a vibrant chorus urging the listener to “stay with me, for just a while, hold me close, confirm my denial”.

And there is vibrancy and warmth all over this album, even down the samples of young children frolicking and singing in between tracks. ‘Best Ever’ is a playful instrumental and makes for a particularly satisfying intro into ‘Phosphorescence’ (yes, that is the correct spelling … I think). ‘Idolatry’ provides a break from the euphoria, with its tender vocals and mournful strains of guitar. It is to the credit of this record that it can incorporate such diverse moods without any sign of discordance whatsoever.

Some have likened Tall Ships to a young Biffy Clyro, and there are snatches of glimpses where this may appear to be true, especially in the raw guitar work. However, Tall Ships are not a band that need the piggyback such comparisons give. Everything Touching is as bold a statement as the band could ever possibly make; rarely does one come across such a confident debut. The band start their UK tour on Wednesday, and if indeed there are people who haven’t got the Tall Ships memo yet, this will be rectified soon enough.

8/10

Buy Everything Touching here