Music / indie
Review: The Coral, SWX
It’s at SWX that The Coral are making a stop to promote their new album Move Through the Dawn. What can the crowd expect? The band have moved away from their previous heavier sound heard on Distance Inbetween which was released in 2016. Instead, the new record shows the band reconnecting with their love for sixties music and appeal for melancholic sounds and poppy reveries.
Although the venue is far from empty, it’s surprising that a band like them, still relevant after twenty years are not headlining a full O2 Academy. Rather mysterious, yet they have all the ingredients to compete with their contemporaries: rock’n’roll coolness, curiosity to renew themselves constantly and catchy melodies (when psychedelic flourishes are set aside).
The set is cleverly constructed. New songs are played but they don’t overpower the whole performance. Instead, they are introduced subtly and blend perfectly with the tempi and moods of older songs. They start with Sweet Release, a new number which perfectly sets the machine on with explosive riffs and rousing singing from James Kelly. Some songs are lighter such as Secret Kiss, a crafty poppier number in which Nick Power’s organ skills are showcased with spooky sounds of a retro fair.
is needed now More than ever
The band performs an impeccable cover of the Yardbirds, Heart Full of Soul. The easiness of the rendition illustrates how much sixties garage rock and vintage blues have influenced them. Old hits are also performed such as the mellow Jacqueline and the strongly narrative Bill McCai with guitars again reminiscing of the past, with a wink at the Stones’ Mother’s Little Helper.
Things are taken to a different level with the psychedelic Miss Fortune, a hypnotic ambiance for a rather quiet crowd. Indeed, the atmosphere doesn’t really take off. Constant chatters can be heard at the back and the audience only manage to reach a great connection with the band when they play Reaching Out for a Friend, a new number that gets people dancing while grins grow larger.
The set is very entertaining and goes in an instant. The crowd shouts for more and the band comes back with the rambunctious Goodbye and the long-awaited Dreaming of You which finishes the set on a fun singalong. The Coral performed a great show tonight with modesty, talent and an ability for renewal and exploration that is seldom seen in modern bands that have already made it in the music industry.
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