Gwenno
I’d heard Gwenno’s single on the radio and although it’s sung in Welsh and electronica, I really enjoyed it. The album also proved to be equally entertaining so I thought I’d go along and see what the band were like when playing it live.
The evening started off with a glam rock psych band. They did nothing for me. I hope this isn’t a sign that glam is the next retro genre to return. It needs to be left in the 1970s.
Next up was H.Hawkline. The tour is actually a co-headline tour. With Gwenno and H.Hawkline swapping duties at different venues. Tonight, Gwenno had the honour of headlining. But that doesn’t mean that H.Hawkline was second best. Far from it, he put in a strong performance.
H.Hawkline
Closing the evening was Gwenno. I’d imagined that the Gwenno was a band. But in reality, it’s only the heavily pregnant Gwenno and her samplers. This was a major disappointment. Although it’s electronica, it can still be played live. With Gwenno being pregnant, she understandably isn’t the most expressive performer. Luckily, for some of the songs, she did have a bassist and drummer and this gave the performance a much needed boost.
Even though I don’t understand Welsh, the album is really interesting and Gwenno has a beautiful voice. It’s a pity I didn’t enjoy this performance more. But I think if she could get herself a permanent band and leave the keyboard duties to concentrate on being lead vocalist. This material could really work. But tonight I was left slightly disappointed.