Out and About With….The Good Water
Gig Review
22nd July 2022, Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
Written by Luke Knowles Photography by Ellen Knowles
This week, with sister in tow, I took a wonder up to the Castle & Falcon to take in another great evening of live music curtsy of Uncover. Tonights offerings were three brilliant local acts. First Frontier, Giant & The Georges, and The Good Water would take to the stage were their own unique styles and stage presence and create a night of musical joy. As an added bonus to tonights proceedings, this would be the first time that I would get to see them perform live. Though I was excited to see them all, First Frontier held a special place for me that night as I had quite a lot of interactions with them and had had the pleasure of interviewing them for my podcast. So it was great to finally meet them face to face and experience their music in person.
Anyway, that’s enough exposition, how about we get stuck into the nitty gritty and get this gig reviewed….
Opening the show were the garage rock duo themselves, First Frontier. As I said, I was excited to see them live after listening to their music for over a year now. From the moment they crashed into their opening number to the moment they bid their final goodbye, First Frontier made the stage and the room their own. With a humbling confidence that seem to come naturally to them both they managed to fill the stage as though they were a six piece rock band. Each song was delivered with energy and passion. Paul’s guitar work combined with the crips sound system at the venue made each guitar line come to life with extra little accents and fills. Throw into this Helena’s rock steady drumming and each of their songs was elevated beyond the recordings.
One thing that really stands out in their live show is the harmonies and the way in which Paul and Helena’s vocals compliment each other. Though you get a taste of it on the tracks they’ve released, it wasn’t until I stood and watched them perform the shared vocal that the different textures and deliveries of their voices really leapt out at me. While Pauls voice carries a gritty more snappy quality to it, Helena is smooth edged and bright. Combining the two made for good harmonies and brought something different when they shared the lead vocal line. Its probably worth noting at this point that Helena managed to deliver seamless vocals while still holding down a bang on drum beat. It just takes rub your belly and pat your head to a whole other level.
Overall, a solid set from a solid and reliable band. I’m really looking forward to watching their songs and their live show grow as they get the opportunity to gig on a regular basis.
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Next up to the stage was the brilliantly genre fluid, Giant & The Georges. Again, much like First Frontier these were a band I had mostly known via Spotify and social media. They had also been a band that through one reason or another I’d manage to miss perfuming live on several occasions. So seeing that they were on the line up for the evening I had another thing to be excited about.
Straight away their stage presence was magnetic. All eyes were drawn to the stage as they struck up the first number and dove into their performance. Each member of the band exuded a relaxed confidence that filled their set with a relatable warmth. Even between songs the relaxed banter shared with each other and the audience really leant itself to pulling in everyones attention. Added to this was once again a great light show and almost perfect sound output curtsy of the venues in house system.
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As they rolled through their set they played a few familiar songs alongside a few brand new ones that really showcased the bands ability to shift gears. One moment you’d be rocking out to a purely Indie Rock banger and the next you’d slip into a Gypsy Jazz inspired Reggae anthem. All the while their stand out personality as a band and easy going nature was vivid amongst the music. Guitar breaks were greeted with pleasure and the harmonies melted like butter on freshly baked bread (shouldn’t write these things when hungry). Much like First Frontier before them, the harmonies stood out as a highlight for me and really showcased the vocal range and talent in the band.
Eventually they wound up for the final track and really went for it, leaving nothing behind as they ended in style and exited the stage. Another stunning performance, the night was truly set to end on a high. With a fully warmed up audience and a stage bathed in multi coloured lights the headliners made their way on to the stage.
The Good Water were a band that before that nights event I hadn’t really explored their music. They had popped up on event calendars and across social media but for one reason or another I’d not yet fully explored just what they could create. Well after their set to say I was kicking myself would be an understatement. From the off they struck up into a massive atmospheric sound that seemed to encase the entire venue and lift you into a world of swirling patterns and dancing water. Within moments of the first few bars washing against my ears I was hooked on the sound. Whether it was the selling synth effects or the dreamy guitar riffs, each musical choice was designed to expand and envelope the listener with effortless grace.
Song after song seem to melt into each other. Not in a ‘they all sound the same’ way but as though each was a living, breathing element of a single entity. The gentle vocals seemed to bounce along the surface of the music and nestle comfortably against the background noise. Think Happy Mondays meets Pink Floyd in cafe in Amsterdam. All three members of the band worked together in style to bring the recordings to life and truly capture the real essence of the songs. The whole set was laid back and full of passion. All the electricity generated by the previous two acts was unleashed and sparked across them. It was just brilliant.
Overall, each act, while differing in musical direction and inspiration managed to compliment each others performances and even went someway to allow their own unique styles and approaches to stand out even more. All three acts are definitely ones I will see again and I urge you do the same at your earliest chance.
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