Live Review: The Twang @ Rescue Rooms

Monday 13th saw a trip to the Rescue Rooms for what promised to be a smashing night of indie rock magic with a performance from the The Twang. Maia Gibbs reviews.

Rescue Rooms, in my humble opinion, is far superior than its brother in arms Rock City. Maybe it is the jazz club seats, the double gin and lemonade for £3.50 or the intimacy of it. The stage is a perfect setting for any good British Indie gig - small enough that you can touch hands with the band, but big enough that it can be assured you will be drenched in someone’s flying lager. And a balcony, for any of the older patrons who can enjoy the show without getting their Paul Smith jumpers palmed.

First up was Red Rum Club hailing from Liverpool. All I can say about the Red Rum Club is that when they started playing me and my gig-going companion Niamh turned to each other and quizzed “Alex Turner?”. Maybe it was the leather jacket, the greaser hair or when Niamh told me that I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor was what the band started playing in the opening chords.

''The Twang being the soundtrack of many summer days, drunken nights out and nostalgia''

However what felt incredibly original was the Midlands swagger as the Brummie bandmates bounced onto the stage, adorned in their ensemblement of British fashion brands. Never have six people oozed such youthful joy before. Well, my youthful joy - The Twang being the soundtrack of many summer days, drunken nights out and nostalgia. And this concert certainly didn’t disappoint in living up to those certain memories.

Not only did they deliver, it seems they have filled an empty spot for the possible lack of upcoming gigs. And although not a happy statement, it is impactful in saying that if I had to see one gig before another lockdown this would have been this one. One may call it a ‘Twangmas’.

From the opening tune Barney Rubble, frontman Phil Etheridge had the entire room singing out every single word and every ''woah-oh-o-oh-o''. It really set the room alight. And to the six foot man that fell on me during the chorus - I hope you’re doing well, the stain did come out of the Fred Perry.

The Twang truly knew how to please all the fans, tapping into their catalogue from early noughties hits to recent lockdown tunes. Wide Awake was a stellar performance which saw two teenagers try and invade the stage. Resulting in a bear hug from a bouncer, and a proclamation of ''It’s all about joy here! Give each other a hug but getting on stage is a bit weird'' from Etheridge. Promptly, a sense of normalcy and chastisement filtered through various groups or the crowd. Twang gigs aren’t renowned for their peace and quiet.

''I could truly enjoy it for the stellar performance it was''

This is very true for You On My Shoulders, which surprisingly saw a lot of people get on other people’s shoulders. It did seem only fitting. However, after previously experiencing the weight of the aforementioned six foot man, any sway of a singing girl or even worse a shaking of double-stacked teenage boys did ignite a fear within me. No one wants a Spezial in the face. But after the energetic first verse, the audience goers were placed back on the floor I could truly enjoy it for the stellar performance it was. It was truly top notch stuff.

But the real standout for me was Everytime, which saw amazing backing vocals from a group of three female singers. The power ballad was bought to near-perfection as Etheridge and the ladies’ vocals battled and meddled with one another. I have always enjoyed a song which involves an argument (see Don’t You Want Me and Somebody That I Used to Know for more).

I would recommend The Twang live to anyone. It was lively, lovely and all round joyous. It’s hard to make anyone feel like it’s summertime in December – but they somehow did. The night made me so proud of the British, the music and excellent garms mostly, that I had to do something to celebrate the culture. So much so that me, a vegetarian of two years, had a kebab in the rain afterwards.

Maia Gibbs

---

Edited by: Amrit Virdi

Featured image and in-article image courtesy of The Twang via Facebook.