Page 54 - Black Velvet Issue 89

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THE SUMMER SET / THE
LAFONTAINES / SYKES –
BIRMINGHAM ASYLUM,
13.05.16
Three-piece Sykes are get-
ting out and about. This Summer
they’re off to the USA for the
Vans Warped Tour, but first The
Summer Set UK tour. The Lon-
don band have an electro-indie-
pop vibe. Songs such as ‘Best
Thing’ have a dancey beat with a
bright and breezy disposition. Vo-
calist/keyboardist Julia’s soft,
melodic vocals float smoothly
over the band’s honey-sweet re-
frains.
It’s an eclectic line-up with
The LaFontaines fusing hip-hop
with rock. It’s an interesting
sound that takes a little while to
get used to, but the band are an
entertaining bunch with vocalist
Kerr Okan in particular winning
over the crowd. The band get the
crowd to all crouch down at one
point. There’s a slight problem
when drummer Jamie Keenan
can’t find a particular song that
they’re meant to play on the lap-
top – this gets a tad awkward and
a reminder of how bands ought
to be able to play songs live with-
out backing tracks. That aside, a
fun set from an interesting band.
Brian Dales begins The
Summer Set’s set sat at the key-
board as ‘Figure Me Out’, the
most honest song he’s ever writ-
ten, kicks off the set. And as it
kicks into gear he stands up to a
cheer. It’s been too long since the
band have been in the UK – due
to the band taking time off and al-
most splitting up. Luckily, things
turned around and they are back
with an awesome album to play
their longest ever shows. Every-
one at the show is VERY happy
about that.
After a technical hitch, the
band hit their stride with ‘Jukebox
(Life Goes On)’ and ‘Boomerang’
from their previous album, ‘Leg-
endary’. The Summer Set’s show
is always sparkly and divine, with
their pop-rock tunes hitting the
spot. Old song ‘The Boys You Do
(Get Back At You)’ adds a bit of
extra spice, while our fave new
song, ‘Change Your Mind’,
sounds sumptuous. Despite Jess
having been involved in a car ac-
cident before arriving in the UK
and being in pain during the set,
the band do play their longest
ever set in Birmingham. Brian
swears the band won’t take so
long to come back – before the
final number, the vibrant and
bouncy ‘Lightning In A Bottle’. We
hope they live up to his promise
– as we’re already eager for the
next time they’ll be in town.
YYYY
SBV
Brian Dales (The Summer Set)
Photo By Shari Black Velvet
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