Live Review: Water Graves, Sacred Flower Union, Rabbit Island, Spirit Level

A toasty setting welcomed a mass of patrons into The Bird on Friday night for what would be one hell of a great way to wind down and forget the stresses of the working week, with local ambient pop group Water Graves showcasing a live performance of their very first EP. A relatively unknown duo in Spirit Level kicked off proceedings with a droning pop warmth – their own blend of catchy beats, fuzzy guitar blends and dreamy, echoed vocals settling the crowd in and giving us plenty of reason to keep an eye on their performance schedule. Half an hour later, the dainty Rabbit Island took to the stage and filled the entire space, allowing six friends to join in supporting her for the evening. With captivating storytelling and a hauntingly beautiful vocal delivery by Amber Fresh, the change in tempo went down a treat and many in the growing crowd took the opportunity to relax and let themselves be engulfed by the lullaby-sounding tunes.

The tempo was once again turned on its head with the main support act of the evening, Sacred Flower Union, taking his place on centre stage. Having supported Water Graves on their mini-tour across the country, the one-man show was completely revved up, and had absolutely no trouble in transferring his relentless energy to the crowd, who were still feeling a lull in the wake of the previous group. Aided by a captivating visual collage on the stage's backdrop, the set was full of energy, yet curiously relaxing, and crowd members were either immersed in the somewhat chaotic nature of the psychedelic dream pop being produced, or dancing themselves stupid. I certainly felt like I was part of the latter group and as a first-time viewer, I will most certainly be following this guy around town to be catching as many performances as possible.

Water Graves emerged slowly and eased their way into their EP performance from 11.30pm. Despite the calming nature of their music, the band members were extremely upbeat, obviously feeling the buzz of finishing their national tour at home and surely feeling humbled by the strong number of people who had hung around to watch them play. The group commenced their show with the opening track of their new release, Iridescent, a brilliant showcase of the dreaminess the band is known for, with distant drum thumps and muted synth tones. Arguably the most recognised tune in Creatures was also wonderful to hear live, giving off the sensation of being swept away under the sea with pulsating drum beats, a melancholic vocal delivery and a somewhat watery lo-fi presence. We were all so caught up in the atmospheric nature of the set that again, like a dream, it felt as though the band had played for five minutes and it was in disbelief that they had all of a sudden announced their last song and over half an hour had passed. Buying an EP at the end of the show was a must, and I'm sure I can speak for everyone at the show when I say I hope their first release is not their last.