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The Maple State set about their support slot with confidence and yield instant results. Whilst the frontman’s flesh tubes warn of emo sensibilities, the opening salvo of ‘Arguments’ is more reminiscent of Idlewild’s fervent anthemics; the first cheer of the night is a loud one.
Not that there’s much time for crowd response, as the band’s breathless pace sees each song hammered to an unexpected end barely a half-second before they’re rocketing into the next. Earnest expressions are worn throughout, The Maple State preferring to display focus and sheer ability rather than inane bantering.
And there’s ability in spades. The rhythm section is cohesive and pleasingly angular, on several occasions wrong-footing a small contingent of boozy moshers that forms early on. Elsewhere dual guitars and keys provide a rich overlay, never in competition with one another, always working to the same ends. When it works, the instrumentation is stunning; the mid-section of ‘Temperate Lives’ is so effortlessly intricate, it’s impossible not to be slightly awe-struck.
when the band resort to flag-waving choruses the taut intensity is allowed to escape for just long enough to reveal some fairly derivative melody
It’s not all good news though. Influences such as Death Cab for Cutie are plain to see, and when the band resort to flag-waving choruses the taut intensity is allowed to escape for just long enough to reveal some fairly derivative melody. Also sound is an issue tonight, which is a shame; when the band dive headfirst into the heavier numbers (‘Don’t Take Holidays), the vocals often can’t cut through convincingly enough to bring it home.
Nevertheless, The Maple State’s set does plenty right and their vigour is rewarded with ample applause to give tonight’s headliners a fair bit of work to do to better it.
Luckily for the Faversham, The Answering Machine have, erm, the answer.
Leading off with a powerhouse rendition of debut single ‘Oklahoma’, the trio jolt their tiring crowd into fevered dancing and general larking about. All slight frames and clean-cut retro image, the force that the band are capable of delivering is a welcome surprise to all. There’s Pat leading the charge with his driving staccato lead guitar, Martin up front delivering lyrics with wide-eyed sincerity, and the enigmatic Gemma solely concerned with the punchy grooves that complement the stylings of secret fourth member and drum machine Mustafa Beat.
The Answering Machine were brought into the High Voltage fold after only a handful of gigs, and they claim they’re “still experimenting with ways to bolster the sound”. Plans to enlist the percussive services of real person Ben Perry are, they say, “very much in the balance”, for fear of “change, and losing what’s unique about us”. If all that’s the case, the air of self-assuredness they affect onstage is an incredibly convincing mask.
Each song gallops along briskly, built around simple templates but brought into textural technicolour by Martin’s keening vocal style, whilst Gemma’s yelping raises the jolly-o-meter through the roof. It’s a sound somewhere between The Shins, Broken Social Scene, and Kings of Leon.
Every sonic nuance seems to be contributing to their desire “not to jump on any bandwagons, not to be part of what’s gone before”, and there’s a refreshing politeness and lack of preening in evidence throughout. Even when the material occasionally falters – future single ‘Lightbulbs’ proves too whimsical to truly leave its mark – their care-free energy and belief in their songcraft carries them through. It’s like Razorlight or the Strokes without the pretention; this is rock, without the Cocks.
By the time the final song and storming new single ‘Silent Hotels’ has been nailed, with its pure sentiment perfectly pinning down the rigours of youthful creativity (“Is it something you say/ or is it something you do?”), The Answering Machine have made doubly sure that as many smiling faces walk out of the Faversham as walked in.
The Answering Machine’s new single ‘Silent Hotels’ is available on 7” and download from the 18th, and they play Club NME at London Koko on the 22nd. Both bands play Glastonbury’s Late n Live stage on the 23rd.
