Review: DIIV and Spring King at Night And Day Cafe

Image: Spring King

A sell out show pinpointed within the realms of Manchester's infamous Northern Quarter, namely Night and Day Cafe this time around, is often a solid indication of something special. 

More so when Brooklyn rarities DIIV and fast emerging outfit Spring King are drafted in on a sun drenched evening in the City. With the pint wielding crowd naturally in high spirits, this one could have sold out twice over. 

First came Manchester outfit Spring King and with a quick assemblage of their instruments they were away. Launching into a quick fire slalom of beaming garage rock, the band bounced from song to song - their sound being comparable to a mob of nerdy punks crossing the Californian border - if that would ever happen. 

Their on stage presence lives up to that conception of their sound, all centred around drummer and lead Tarek Musa who wore his trusty red cap. The animated troop collectively contributed to the rip roaring choruses that frequent songs like the piano bashing bop of 'Mumma' or 'Better Man's' cannonball trajectory (above) to which bassist James looked ready to pop an artery.

Able to journey multiple sounds and chop up the tempo at will, the band demonstrated boundless versatility. By sailing through breakneck versions of the recorded material, it's clear that they're befitting to the live stage. After finishing with the heaviest of the crop (below), the band disassembled and dispersed like nothing had happened for the past 35 minutes, paving the way for DIIV. 

Now brimming with eager heads wanting to get in on DIIV's elusive presence, the spaced out New Yorkers spearheaded by Zachary Cole Smith entered the stage to sound check. 

After a ten minute exploration of their lustrous sound levels, Cole clad in an oversized t-shirt and ripped up pants swayed into their opening pit stop of the planets without due notice. 

A sense of apprehensiveness shrouded the room, after almost 4 years since the release of Oshin, it was anticipated that a bout of new material was on its way. Keeping to the old, the shimmered surfaces of eighties inspired 'How Long Have You Known' followed by 'Human' laced the top order, each carrying the tranquil state similarly found in The War On Drugs.

As their set progressed, each song bridged by unintelligible utterances due to the muddy echo of the mic, it was apparent that although more vocally charged, their new material was still pinned within the same reverb drenched motif of Oshin.

Throughout the hour, meticulously formed melodies communicated through winding rhythms and serene droned guitar lines were matched by Zachary's often murmured vocal drenched in a swooning ball of reverb. It was quite easy to get lost in the lucid swirl of dream pop that the band engage, although at times it could have benefited from a more open space. 

Centre piece 'Doused' prompted a mildly formed mosh pit with revellers seemingly dazed by DIIV's mesmerising blueprint; until eventually they were joined on stage towards the end. It was an experience to saviour in one of Manchester's high flying haunts, and an invigorating one at that.

After a troubled few years, if you could call it that for Smith and co, it's obvious that their new material is more sincere and heartfelt than ever. If this gig proved anything, it's that they're clearly on course to putting those difficulties to bed with a record that overrides them.

Read 24 Hours In A Bathroom with Spring King's Tarek Musa