Music / Review
Review: SUEP, The Crofters Rights – ‘Eclectic arrangement of songs tied together by playful synth melodies’
With only a limited number of songs on Spotify, I was unsure as to what to expect from SUEPS gig.
Taking place in The Crofters Rights more intimate of spaces with a low ceiling and red lighting, the gig felt very personal, which excited me.
I had been waiting for the opportunity to see SUEP since the release of their 2021 indie pop banger of keyboards and drum machines, Domesticated Dream, which has been a staple of my listening habits for the last two years.
is needed now More than ever
Over the next hour and a half, the indie SUEP-er group, containing members from acts such as Porridge Radio and Joanna Gruesome, treated us to an eclectic arrangement of songs and sounds all tied together by playful popy synth melodies and dark haunting post punk vocals about the realities of everyday life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSDcVzNUfK/?hl=en
Undoubtable highlights were Just a Job, sung by Josh Harvey and concerning the nuances of accepting the menial reality of life and uninspiring jobs and the joy that can be found in this realisation. The song features a catchy shouty chorus that immediately hooked me.
Set to a gentle synth melody and slow drumbeat, when the song reaches its main choral chant, the bands cries of “it’s just a job” seem to explode with energy in juxtaposition with the rest of the song. It certainly had me feeling better about aspects of my own menial existence.
The other high point being their live performance of Domesticated Dream, heralded by the drummer’s production of a drum machine and the ensuing immediately recognisable drumbeat, which had a member of the audience beside me loudly whisper “oh yeah this one” with unmistakable excitement and glee.
SUEP was one of my first gigs of the new year and I couldn’t think of a better way to start things off.
This is a feeling I know was shared by the rest of the audience that seemed enthralled and responsive throughout the whole set.
Main photo: Angus Cawood
Read next:
- Review: Let Spin, Strange Brew – ‘They are a group of contrasts and striking dynamics’
- Review: Easy Life, Trinity – ‘Their energy was completely infectious’
- Review: Young Fathers, Rough Trade – ‘The most unshakeably cool band around’
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