Gypsy & The CatFronted by two former members of Little Red, with familiar faces from Eagle & the Worm and Ground Components, New Gods begin their set rather inconspicuously to the sparse Metro floor. The outfit's tune replicates love-making rather than Little Red's joyous rock'n'roll beat, the crowd slowly flooding in to catch the smooth harmonies and deep bass guitar of the band who seem all grown up. Frontman Dominic Byrne wriggles to the relaxed new single, On Your Side, this new flavour of chilled-out guitar and peaceful vocals setting the tone early on, until Day Off Work's hard-hitting chords, vocal intensity and element of fun bring back memories reminiscent of previous ventures. Their debut EP is due to be released later this month, and this timing becomes a factor in the room's response, most unaware of who they are and where they've been. Nonetheless, their music sounds great; a mixture of vocal beauty, fantastic builds and stripped-back musicianship, territory Little Red never really delved into.
Three songs into Gypsy & The Cat's set and the room has already devoured Time To Wonder and The Piper's Song – a perfect beginning – before slowly testing new material to diehard fans. To be honest, the new album is equally as effective but in a different way, the usual synthesised sound has been quietened with the band's own rock'n'roll talent taking the fore, every song demanding a bit of a dance. Vocalist Xavier Bacash lets everyone know that change is what the duo wanted, before he and the man-of-many instruments Lionel Towers tear into Sorry, backed by drums and bass, their fans approving as the lyrics echo through the crowd. Title track, The Late Blue, drifts into folk territory, an amped acoustic guitar providing a fascinating contrast before the band are suddenly backlit for the exciting shift in pace midway through.
Purely based on familiarity, tunes like Gilgamesh's Running Romeo receive the highest praise, and with constant onstage banter circulating around comparisons of the records, it's hard to ignore the adoration for the first album. Jona Vark is without a doubt the moment of the night, the boys bringing such a buzz to the room with the swaying pit coming alive to the indie dream sound they are used to. The Late Blue sounds great and Bacash's voice soars in its choruses; however, it may just need time to sink in a bit.
