The Thin Air Presents - Blue Whale, Robocobra Quartet, Hot Cops, Allez Bartoli

The Thin Air Presents: Blue Whale, Robocobra Quartet, Hot Cops, Allez Bartoli

The Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast

Friday 30th January, 2015

Now celebrating its third year, Independent Venue Week is 7 days of gigs dedicated to celebrating local music, in local venues all across the UK. As always, Belfast proved no exception, this year’s line-up including a gig provided by The Thin Air in the Oh Yeah Centre. Featuring four extremely promising acts, expectations were understandably high. So how was it? Well...

First on stage is the enigmatic Allez Bartoli, a two piece seemingly on a mission to further revive the art of shoe gaze, with an electronic edge. Ambient trance infused backings of synth & guitar merge effortlessly, while their echo drenched vocals connect with a hugely appreciative crowd. With such a massive sound at their disposal, Allez Bartoli sound huge in this intimate venue. To transfer it to a live setting is quite a feat indeed.

By the time Belfast's Hot Cops took to the stage, a rather large crowd was gathering, testament to this young bands ascension through the local music ranks, after just under a year together. Armed with a new EP's worth of material, the band ripped through their back catalogue with purpose and ease. So much of Hot Cop's raw magnetism comes from their front man Carl Eccles, who again delivered. Eccles casual demeanor set the scene perfectly. "Hey, we're Hot Cops, wanna party? Here's seven songs about being depressed."

The blistering ‘Kenzies Farmhouse’, ‘Nightwatch’ and ‘Bill Clinton’ all hype the audience up; but it's the spell binding ‘Decay’ which steals the show. A sad song disguised as an anthem, 'Decay' swings from verse to verse like a classic, its maudlin prose provoking a minor sing-along. What's more remarkable still, this is a track the band hasn’t even recorded yet. A special performance from indie rock’s new shining light.

Robocobra Quartet is a band also featuring a particularly captivating front man, with Chris Ryan showing his charisma from very early on. Passing off early technical problems with trademark politeness, the drummer / vocalist's flow and rhythm did not once threaten to desert him throughout the set. The four piece's fusion of jazz and rap packed an explosive punch tonight, each track's recorded gravitas successfully fusing on the live stage. Closer '80 to 81' proved particularly gripping, Ryan's sample of American composer Steve Reich's mic technique from 'Pendulum Music' proving a genius addition.

Headliners Blue Whale's fusion of jazz and punk proved a hit with the crowd, their considerable experience carrying a high octane set. It's hard to imagine this being new member Andrew Melville's first ever gig, as everything from the bassist's relaxed stage presence, to his centre stage position seemed totally natural. Brimming with energy and chat with the crowd, it was a fine end to the evening.

Each of the acts on show has the potential to leave their mark on Belfast and beyond. With such an array of potential on one bill, this gig may be looked back upon as rather special indeed.

Taylor Johnson