By Nina Curmi, Third Year Liberal Arts
I traded a miserable Thursday evening at the library for a much more appealing gig at Strange Brew. This wasn’t your typical gig, as it was marketed as a double-headline show. This meant that both acts Good Sad Happy Bad (GSHB), and Maria Somerville played hour-long sets, instead of the usual opening set being shorter.
GSHB, formerly known as Micachu and the Shapes are a supergroup composed of film score composer Mica Levi on guitar, Mount Kimbie member Marc Pell on drums, solo artist Raisa Khan on main vocals and keys, and multi-instrumentalist CJ Calderwood on saxophone, recorder, midi pad controller and backing vocals.
Five years after their album Shades, they are now touring their latest album All Kinds of Days, which was released in late 2024.
I would describe the band’s music as jazzy, textured and layered with choral harmonies, jangly guitar, synth, and sax. Think of a cross between Broadcast, and Radiohead with a dash of indie rock.
Maria Somerville is an upcoming Irish musician whose music is a fresh redefinition of dream-pop, fusing Irish folk motifs with post-punk and hypnotic drones. Think of a mixture of Cocteau Twins, and Slowdive with some drum beats similar to Yo La Tengo.
Somerville and her band were up first. This performance fell on the eve of the release of her new album Luster, which Pitchfork has just named Best New Music.
As this was a double-headline gig we were graced with 12 songs and even heard some unreleased tracks like ‘Halo’ and ‘Spring’. At times I found myself geeking out at the drummer’s use of a bow on the crash cymbal, which created this eerie noise I had never heard before.
I don’t know if my brain was fried from staring at my diss on my laptop all day but boy did this performance make me sleepy. I don’t mean this negatively, dream-pop sometimes has that effect on you.
Despite only being a three-man band, Somerville’s music hypnotises you, sucking you into this trance and only releasing you once the song is over.
I was soon reawakened by the playful noise of GSHB. Starting strong with the track ‘After.Spirit’ from their latest album, GSHB doesn’t give you a chance to feel tired.
Most of their songs are short, falling under three minutes but are extremely intimate and tight. The band’s dynamic creates this striking paradox by being simultaneously messy yet extremely precise.
I was most excited to hear their new track ‘DIY’ and was really impressed with the drummer, Pell, who was the lead vocalist on the track, which is also in spoken word. He makes this extremely challenging task look effortless.
Funnily enough, early into the performance of ‘DIY’, which is a song about fixing things, Pell’s mic unclipped and fell. Fortunately for us, this on-the-nose moment meant that we got to hear the song again as they restarted.
They also played crowd favourites from their previous albums such as ‘Star’ and ended with another classic, ‘Shades’ which primarily features Calderwood’s haunting sax.
Despite all the members being extremely talented and masters of their instruments, no member outshines the other. Their music hits you with the full force and power of their combined skill. I felt emotional as the gig ended.
Was it because of my sealed fate at the library the following morning? Or was I profoundly moved by the music? I’d bet on the latter.
Featured Image: Nina CurmiDo you still enjoy gigs during exam season?
