Review: Parcels, Thekla

After the news that Thekla’s existence may be under threat due to yet more property development in Bristol, music to cheer and elate was definitely required.

Thankfully Australian via Berlin band Parcels were onboard and did just that. First seen at Dot to Dot in May 2017 when they blew the unsuspecting audience away with their fusion of yacht rock, funk, blue-eyed soul and electronica, it was still surprising that the gig sold out well in advance bearing in mind the band have only released one EP and one single. Even if that single was produced by Daft Punk and released by uber-hip music and fashion label Kitsune. Proof that word of mouth and a great show with online media, the number of views of some tracks on their YouTube channel runs into millions can still build a strong and devoted fan-base for a new band, see also Fickle Friends.

There was an overwhelmingly good natured, party atmosphere throughout the entire venue, and that wasn’t entirely due to the plethora of Hawaiian, tropical or Aztec patterned shirts worn by many members of the crowd. Initially an unsuspecting attendee may have wondered if they had stumbled into the biggest, almost hip stag do of the year. To state that the audience were up for having a good time even before the band started playing would be a huge understatement, this crowd were up for the best time ever and Parcels delivered it to them.

From the minute the band took the stage to their encore, the crowd made more noise than I can remember at the venue as every song was greeted with a roar of ear-ringing approval and recognition. Songs were sung along to, basslines were sung along to, grown men were putting their hands in the air and making heart shapes at the band, some serious moves were being busted by boys (moshing to dance music is a new approach) and there was even a spate of ‘air keyboards’ going on late on in the set. All of this combined was similar to witnessing devotional behaviour at an esoteric and ecstatic cult, that’s not a criticism, it was just a little unusual in the currently cooler than thou hipster climate at many gigs.

Parcels definitely are not cooler than thou try-hards, dressed like they’d left Miami Beach in the ‘80s and ‘90s to hit up Studio 54 and had subsequently been booked as the venue’s house band on the insistence of Grace Jones; they are one of the least self-conscious bands imaginable. They look like they’re having a great time on stage and that they genuinely enjoy playing together and are about to start locking down some immense grooves.

And lock down some serious funk, electro-pop, disco grooves they did. The opening track, full of samples, chugging rhythm guitar and funky basslines that Bootsy Collins and Bernard Edwards would be proud to have played set the tone for the rest of the set. The dancing started and didn’t stop and that was just the band.

The basslines are one of the most immediately noticeable elements of Parcels live set, so loud that they were the Thekla made of wood her timbers would have shivered, yes the bass and drums were the rhythmic heart of the music but the bassist sometimes played more ‘musically’ than rhythmically, he could even be forgiven for the bit of slap bass which crept in.

But it’s not all about the bass, each member of the band is a very good musician, the guitarist can play rhythm, jazz and intricately picked indie guitar, the drummer also slipped easily between styles and the keyboardists could be all minimal eighties electronica one minute and then washes of lovely analogue synth the next, underpinning the whole on some songs with some good sequencer usage. The Daft Punk collaboration with the band is definitely something which cannot be ignored, some of the songs, notably Overnight which was co-written with the enigmatic duo, Hideout and Games of Luck have a distinct Daft Punk vibe, with a dash of Chic for additional funkiness. But the band are more than mere copyists paying homage to their heroes they create tunes which sound familiar but are fresh, fun and earworms in the making.

From the sample heavy, opening instrumental throughout the entire set this band never missed a beat, a cue or a note and they danced, sang and harmonized their hearts out whilst doing so. At times this was simply astonishing, the band were so energetic and yet such virtuoso musicians and connected with their audience, lessons could be learned by many a band on the strength of this show. Cool just isn’t that cool really.