Words by Steven Burnside
Having tagged themselves as The Bee Gees on diazepam, one common criticism in reviews of All We Are’s debut album (released at the start of last month) was that their sexy, laid back indie funk was almost too smooth, too produced, and probably better enjoyed in the bedroom than on the dancefloor. And to be fair, I’d agree that the Liverpool based trio’s mix of sweet falsetto vocals, funky rhythms and shoegazey, delay-drenched guitar is perhaps too damn seductive to dance to in public. Or rather, I would have said that before hearing AWA rip through the songs at a small club venue in Munich last Saturday.
Astonishingly for a relatively new group whose debut effort has copped the tag of “overproduced”, All We Are sound just as polished live as on record. Everything still sounds silky smooth, but with an extra injection of energy the diazepam wears off of songs like I Wear You and Honey, the languid Something About You becomes a proggy jam, and an exceptional cover of Caribou’s Can’t Do Without You really gets the dancefloor moving.
Where this energy comes from is easy to see: the rhythm section of Guro Gikling (bass) and Rich O’Flynn (drums) is louder, and Luís Santos’ guitar, while still dreamy, has some edge. The vocals are traded between all three members, but led by Gikling and O’Flynn, and are just as saccharine sweet and all the more impressive for being as note perfect as in the studio.
The group are currently on their European tour until the end of the month, and then hit the UK again in May supporting Mew. But then where to next? Given that their lead single Feel Safe got some play on Triple J last year, and I Wear You is now a stalwart on the Triple J hitlist, could a trip down under be on the cards?
I for one certainly hope so. Splendour anybody?
While you’re waiting, the band dropped into Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands earlier in the year to record some live tracks, which you can check out below.