Live Review: Tigertown, Tourism

Tigertown's Chris and Charlie Collins entertained the crowd with a couple of Ryan Adams covers as it became apparent that scheduled support Van Hoorn were not going to make the show. Shows you what lovely folk Tigertown are. Their cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams showed that Charlie has actually ripped out Stevie Nicks' voice box and put it in her own, while Chris' voice echoes that of Bernard Fanning's strength and texture.

It was a wonderful gentle start to the evening that was rudely interrupted by Tourism. Rude like good, fit, smashing. Somewhere between The Fratellis and Little Red, Tourism have a lightheartedness that is lacking in indie circles. Even within their lyrics, rhyming accidentally with gent-tle-ly, or the wonderfully coy “Tied to a bed/ Was it something I said/ She left me for dead”. Singer Joe Wisniewski combines the Northern croon of Arctic Monkeys and a rock scratch that would make John Lennon smile.

Tigertown fully embrace their Fleetwood Mac sound, with crescendos backed by booming drum rolls and blissed-out synths. For a modern comparison think fun. crossed with Bat For Lashes. Go Now comes across a little like the slower Basics tunes, while pulling out the trumpet to pair with Charlie's modern folk voice on Always Sing you can't help but think Angus & Julia Stone. Forget all the comparisons though, Tigertown could easily play alongside any of those bands and sound entirely like themselves. Their chilled-out disco track, Back In Time, shows a nice future direction, as does What You Came Here For with its hinky syncy jumps. They enthralled the crowd with their first real encore as they once again slipped away like oil through water, a kaleidoscope of colour and hope as the music swirled and whirled; surrounded, yet in their own world. Thanks for letting us visit your magic place.