Corsica Studios, London
“Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.”
Indie-folk and art-rock quirkisms enmesh superbly, cast against recent exploratory trilalings which make for an intriguing trajectory of tonight’s emerging act, Ugly.
It’s not often one hears Buddhist chants claimed amongst modern music. For the Cambridge-birthed, London-based, sextet, the traditional confines of folk-rock-driven songwriting are meant to be subverted. Guided by the evident post-rock influences of prior, such as Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, to the more recent burgeoning forces of Black Midi and Squid, Ugly has found a unique lane staked amongst their debut EP of this year, Twice Around the Sun.
Folk-inspired acoustics and rousing upbeat tempos ignite the group's terse engine of work; inflected by an eclectic range of vocal harmonies and playful trajectories which tenderly suture wounds throughout. Reminiscent of The Beach Boys’ vocal legacy, their similar harmonies situate them as an inspiring stand-out of late, beseeching the aforementioned phrase in ‘Sha’ before crassly responding with whimsical humour (“Sha, sha, sha, sha, sha, shut up”). Such revelations within Ugly’s debut EP has brought them a vibrant following, particularly at the nation’s capital, which is reciprocated tonight at each vocalised twist and turn.
Unbeknownst to many of us, however, tonight’s trajectory would take a starker turn. Delving into their most recent (and unreleased) work, the band venture into the ethereal depths of space-rock, tinged with notes of vintage prog-rock from yesteryears. Few of these tracks prove to penetrate as convincingly as their previous work, released merely 5 months ago, resulting in tracks which aimlessly digress and remain dour next to their sprightlier counterparts.
Fortunately enough, the entourage steer us back to familiar territory before the evening’s closure with ‘I’m Happy You’re Here’ and, perhaps, their most notable track to date, ‘The Wheel’. The former croons with simplified beginnings as spoken-word delivery, akin to Black Country, New Road, transcends into dissonant refrains and an explosive outro. Yet the latter enacts the real showstopper, initiated by a mesmerising 4-part harmony divided into numerous vocal rounds. Succumbing to monolithic guitar lines, plus a bassline which remains indelibly reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, Ugly sign-off in cataclysmic folk-rock style; the crowd undulating at tonight’s resonating scene.
While the future of Ugly’s forays remain to be formally realised, the sextet remain an enticing and daringly boundary-sliding band within London's quirky rock scene which has burned brightly over recent years. For we can only hope that the entourage’s unique oddities and vocal tricks bleed into their latest material, cast in varying degrees tonight; salvaged by the group’s inspiring work from their debut EP which proudly embodies some of the U.K's most inspiring folk-rock of our modern time.
6.5/10
Ugly's debut EP, Twice Around the Sun, is out now and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Jack Pitcher whose work can be found here.
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