In light of their 10th year running, the seminal London-based promoter group Bird on the Wire curated their own day of birthday celebrations last Saturday based in the heart of Hackney. Having previously promoted the notable likes of Moses Sumney, Mac DeMarco, Young Fathers and Big Thief, this group promised to showcase some of the most enticing up-and-coming acts from across the U.K on their well-deserved celebratory day.
My afternoon began with 404, an energetically punk-flavoured grime act pummelling their way into the crowd with their vehemently heavy beats and effervescent rapping from the handful of rappers amidst their entourage. The aggressive rapping on stage was compromised by the slight repetitive natures of such beat structures and sampling, yet this act was a mere testament to the varying sounds this promoter group have been accustomed to over the years. One can only admire their adaptability to incorporate a grime act into the fray of an indie-heavy roster, particularly one as uncompromising and convincing as 404.
The proceedings unfortunately wained slightly with Babii’s trite take on the ubiquitous electropop scene - managing in her best efforts to vary the beat patterns and sampling laid out from her repertoire as a solo artist. Splayed with multiple drum pads featuring pre-recorded samples, Babii’s impressive dexterity became hindered by the lack of enticing musicalities and instead imprinted herself as a somewhat amateurish version of Flume’s pop-ridden electronica.
From these underdeveloped frequencies, emerged the art-punk, London-based band known as Squid. This hometown show could’ve been any show to them as their engrossed-in-the-music facade barely allowed them to recognise the audience whatsoever. In spite of this obscurity, the Parquet Courts-reminiscent act launched themselves into a burgeoning foray of bellowing vocals, screeching guitars, oscillating time signatures, and blaring trumpets as the audience marvelled at the sight of a truly enticing act emerging from their home city. Their latest single ‘Houseplants’, chosen as their final track of the set, went down like a spoonful of sugar with medicine - except Mary Poppins took the form of a teenage punk-band from London and the Banks family were the impassioned crowd basking in their raucous Saturday afternoon.
Finally, the experimental nature built from this afternoon transcended further into the night, in the form of math-rock/jazz freestyle band Black Country, New Road. Amongst the looming indie-rock landscapes nestled within each track, came the incessantly quirky saxophone solos, spazzing their way into these commentative lyrics poetically told by the frontman. Featuring 2 guitars, a drummer, a synth player, a violinist, a saxophonist, and a bass player, this act had the makings of something truly alluring with the sax player conducting their traverses through various time signatures, solo sections, and song conclusions. Whilst Black Country may have similarly lacked a direct personal rapport with the crowd, it was certainly compensated with their musical personality cracking at the seams of emotional turmoil.
Although personal logistics restricted me from witnessing every act on display at Hackney’s Studio 9294, this afternoon marked a sheer triumph for Bird on the Wire’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Showcasing some truly inspiring and varied acts amongst their respective genre-crossing repertoires, this promoter group have imprinted themselves as one of the most pertinent groups in the country. On the one hand, it’s always a risk supporting such obscure acts who may never see the light of day at major UK festivals or tours, yet on the other hand, they’ve proven to be on the right side of history over the past decade - catching some notable stars in the process and laying the foundations for many other influential acts. Perhaps I’m alone in saying this, but I’m brimming with delirium as to what the next decade holds for this group and the U.K. music scene - hopefully adding more strings to their bow (or wires to their bird).
8/10
Bird on the Wire are a London-based promoter and their website can be found here.
All photos are courtesy of Dani Bolton, whose website can be found here.
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