Suuns live at Soup Kitchen Manchester review

Image: Suuns

2016 has been a strong year for the Secretly Canadian record label. Chicago outfit Whitney's debut record Light Upon The Lake was met with widespread acclaim on account of its sun kissed country rock vibes, while former Antony and the Joshuas singer Anohni has found herself alongside the likes of David Bowie and Skepta on the Mercury Prize nominations list.

In the label's 20th year there was also a release for Montreal band Suuns, who confusingly aren't a homegrown feature down to Secretly Canadian's origins in Indiana, but nonetheless their third album Hold/Still was positive reinforcement to an envious discography.

Stepping out in front of giant inflatable letters that spelled their name, the four piece were met by a crammed Soup Kitchen with little room for anything other than appreciative nodding. Thankfully, that was mostly what was required for their pounding, often mesmerising marriage of electro rock and psychedelia.

The early precedent was set with a drawn out rendition of 'Instrument' from the band's latest release. With fuzzy bass tones and straightforward beats, the track almost has a whiff of Roots Manuva about it, although it's doubtful the group would cite him as an influence. That said, there were plenty of occasions throughout where Suuns' work could have been the basis of an angsty hip hop sample.

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It was impossible not to be lulled in by the eerie 'Resistance', an endless trudge into a darker, heavier assault as time went by. Yes, it sounds great on the album but in such tightly packed surroundings it seemed to have found its natural habitat.

The same could be said for '2020' from 2013's Images De futur (listen above) with Ben Shemie's mind altering fretwork orchestrating a hypnosis upon the sell out crowd. As the track gathered in intensity, the heat became close and sweat dripped from the walls of the basement venue.

A happy crowd left once the band had bowed out with 'Pie IX', further highlighting Soup Kitchen's culture in hosting both gifted and intriguing acts from around the world. It's this nous that won the venue an indie50 award and is what brings people to the club out of sheer curiosity. Long may it continue.

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