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Is Tropical

An under strength crowd line the barrier at the Wedgewood Rooms for the first gig of New Young Pony Clubs tour and Teeth have the pleasure in trying to unite the room. Loud and brash, this experimental punk outfit certainly couldn’t be faulted in their enthusiasm and put up a good fight against adversity. They have a good collection of non-formulaic tunes, but are constructive enough not to stray into disjointed nonsense. The singer Veronica SO is endearing enough is presence and vocally that it papers over any of the cracks. Musically there’s enough going on to keep you hooked, but mainly it is to supply support to her vocals.
Is Tropical enter the fray with much more crowd attention. With bandanas across their faces, their presence on the stage is very low-key. The lighting is toned down and barely grazes the band and rightly it’s left down to their music to shine through. When given this focus we are greeted with a shape, fresh and innovative sound. Along with their presence, their music is understated yet intelligent. Multiple listens are recommended for this to be able to digest everything. It’s very much a set played out confidently and in their own distinct way.

New Young Pony Club

With the second album showing a more mature, darker edge, New Young Pony Club‘s return to the stage comes where the musical landscape around them has shifted massively in the last few years. Gone is the new-rave and in come folk, electro and more poignant song writing. The set is second album heavy and the diversity with the first sometimes quite apparent. The more established songs pick up the slack intermittently as there’s no consistent drive to the set. Tahita Bulmer is still an enigmatic yet smooth front woman who tries to draw in the crowd. It’s her energy which keeps the crowd enthused. All the word that come to mind when you see her, those are what are missing from the music at times. The previous cutting edge/attitude that the band had seems to have been lost. Ice Cream proves a bit hit, but also a stark reminder of this.