Still Corners, Captain’s Rest, Sat 4 Feb
Dreamy shoegaze five-piece tour recent album
Still Corners had one heck of a 2011, playing SXSW, touring Europe and the US and releasing their debut LP, Creatures of an Hour, and the little basement of the Captain’s is full of people wondering if they can be as lovely live as they are on record. And the answer is: yes, they can.
Playing along to a projected backdrop of branches, white space and other eerie images, the group of multi-instrumentalists play out the album to the enthralled crowd including single ‘Cuckoo’, ‘Endless Summer’ and the ever so sweet ‘The White Season’. Opening with an instrumental track, the following songs are built around Tessa Murray’s understated but beautiful and powerful voice and enrapturing performance. Masters of the slow build, they layer live sound over pre-recorded backing tracks to great effect, producing a hazy, atmospheric effect. Think Broadcast meets Liz Fraser under the watchful eye of Angelo Badalamenti (David Lynch’s soundtrack writing wingman). Murray’s self-deprecating banter only adds to the intimate nature of the show, allowing Still Corners’ seductive, cinematic songs to come across just as they were intended.