Music / Reviews
Review: English Teacher, SWX – ‘A spectrum of emotions’
It’s hard to believe that this is English Teacher’s debut album. They’ve gathered much warranted acclaim over the last year or so, and the chances are if you’ve been to a festival, you’ll have seen them by now.
Bristol was blessed to host the Mercury Prize-winning band who finished a successful year of live shows in front of a sold out and buzzing crowd at SWX.
The show felt like a culmination of all their hard work and a chance for all those fans to come together to celebrate a stunning debut.
is needed now More than ever
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TTSSFU are along for support this evening, and clearly relished playing to a full room.
Described by many as ‘dream pop’, it strikes more accurately as ‘scream pop’, as Tasmin Nicole Stephens sings autobiographical lyrics in hushed velvety tones, with the songs building to a crescendo of fuzzy guitar accompaniment.
They create a glorious noise live. I’ve never been a shoe gazer so was pleased to find that they are edgy and raw live, playing louder and heavier than expected.
Each song is introduced not by name but by subject matter. Baggage is (for the purpose of this show) dedicated to fancying Julian Casablancas from The Strokes, an unrequited love seemingly shared by a few in the crowd.
Tasmin is all smiles between screams before playing the bluntly titled I Hope You Die – “a song about murdering someone”. Her performance seems an intense form of catharsis.
They end their set with Remember where she delivers the best controlled scream of all and runs off stage, I wish I’d screamed along. Maybe next time. Definitely one to watch.
English Teacher singer Lily astounded the crowd with her impressive vocal range
As Oasis’ Rock’n’Roll Star blurts from the PA. the stage is set with This Could be Texas album artwork brought to life. Painted originally by English Teacher singer Lily Fontaine’s mum, Gillian Fontaine-Grist, this is a real synergy of art-meets-music.
An already inspiring start sees the band open with a super speedy blast through R&B to set the scene nicely.
Broken Biscuits gets a huge cheer as Lily sits down on keys, white light filling the stage as she delivers the first of many astounding vocal performances. Her voice is cracking with emotion but full of rich powerful tones; she can reach notes many can only imagine.
The band reflect on a cracking year, popping a £7 bottle of prosecco to toast the end of the tour where we were reminded of our responsibility to give all to the cause.
Nicholas Eden on bass and Lewis Whiting on lead guitar perform engrossed in their creations. They are effortlessly comfortable on stage and hugely accomplished musicians that have crafted, evolved and perfected these songs.
Crouching for piano ballad You Blister My Paint? Lily touched everyone’s souls, grabbing out and singing directly with a fan who grabbed her hand and sang back like her life depended on it, both appearing visibly emotional.
Then, “This isn’t a play, it’s a rock show, get moving!” she shouts as they launch into summer anthem The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, much to the joy of the crowd who jump and smile as if set free to get lively.
This show incorporated a whole spectrum of emotions, reinforcing yet again the thrilling nature of live music. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will need some time to process how inspiring this show was.
All images: Matt Barnes
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