Possum Kid @ The Grove

Quickly rising up to be a beloved staple of the local scene, indie-country-art-rockers Possum Kid took to The Grove on a cloudy Friday night to rave results, with support from the equally excellent Blue Bayou and dommy.el. Liz Clarke reports.

The first set of the night is the debut solo show by dommy.el, formerly of the recently lost Nottingham favourites Paste. Her set is accompanied by an overhead projection of an animated black-and-white psychedelic void which a stick man falls in and out of, and this proves to be the perfect backdrop for losing yourself within her intimate style of reverb-heavy guitar playing and effortlessly emotive voice which crackles with belief in her own lyrics. She plays new tracks along with old favourites from Paste. which arise instant reactions from the crowd, all with a care and precision that shows that this new era is something worth caring about. For one track, Zach of Nottingham’s Pict joins El on stage, a seemingly impulsive decision which inspires recognition and a cheer to the local music community amongst the crowd.

The London-based second support act of the night, Blue Bayou’s speciality is their versatility, and describing them on impulse as Windmill post-punk, chamber pop and jazz colliding does not quite do justice to the breadth and scope of what they do. This was my second time seeing them after a dazzling headline set at the Mist Rolling Inn last May, and each time, the show has been nothing short of magnificent. Some tracks contain a rhythmic freneticism that borrows more from funk than any other genre and invokes a shuffling of feet and nod along even in the perpetually cramped Grove. Their set, however, also ends with the heartfelt, swooning Carousel Song, which elegantly meshes a waltzing fairground rhythm with a quiet, whispered set of vocal harmonies. New tracks showcase this willingness to experiment with sonic diversity, with moods rapidly shifting from ecstasy to introspection and back again, without ever losing the tightness and technical skill that defines what they do.

Possum Kid’s sound can be best described as a mixture of the new wave of alt-country-rock that has taken off in recent years (Divorce, Wednesday, shades of CMAT) and a distinctly progressive set of leanings. Some tracks - such as the beautiful standout from the evening, Frontier, and rustic opener Real Song, are performed in a more traditionally rustic country vein, with the use of string and woodwind instruments creating the sense of travel, movement and freedom that the best songs in the genre often have. Others, meanwhile, in particular the last two - Twilight Haze and Polyphemus - take the Western-tinged indie that they have established as their trademark with ease throughout the set, and use it as a starting ground for excursions into more experimental territory.

Elsewhere in the set, a jangle-pop sensibility comes through, with Michael borrowing from the guitar tones of mid 80s twangy alt-rock. But what truly makes their sound special, in my opinion, is the inclusion of a truly exceptional violinist and a duo of vocalists with very different ranges whose interplay is reminiscent of local legends Divorce. The violin parts in almost every song take well-written tracks from simply being well-written tracks to having a truly diverse textural and sonic palette worth paying special attention to, and the vocal harmonies only add to this effect. In the slower moments, such as the lovelorn How it Feels, this interest in detail takes centre stage, with the band’s diverse textural understanding being necessary to create a calm and ambient atmosphere that still bursts with a tangible sense of emotion. The drumming on the song which is “Liable to be their first single” (I hope I can print that), Empty Space, is also commendable: it has a very sharp, wooden timbre that sounds great from the beginning, but makes increasingly more sense once the vocals on the track erupt to a scream, pulled straight from the heart and punctuated with a genuine sense of anguish.

The band’s set also includes two covers, borrowed from their recent performance at the annual Bodega Christmas Covers party that I regretfully missed this year. Their cover of Fugazi’s elegiac I’m So Tired quietens the room significantly for a second, in the same way that the original track cuts through the mood that you’d mostly be in whilst listening to the post-hardcore legends on shuffle. As well as this, they include an all-new cover of The Magnetic Fields’ Andrew in Drag which fits perfectly into their set, with the track’s tongue-in-cheek humorous story of sexual confusion being delivered at the show with that same perfect balance of genuine intrigue and lightheartedness that makes the original so interesting.

I'm a firm believer in reporting on how it feels to be at a band's gig: and Possum Kid create an atmosphere which feels friendly and community-oriented without being pretentious. Besides the local music scene cameo featured in the first act's set, and the band stating that the beautiful track This Land was written for a crowd member and friend's documentary, the group are also selling handmade jewellery and stickers outside between acts to raise money for families experiencing the war in Gaza: a gesture that reminds us of what is happening beyond this room and the need for artists to stay aware.

Overall, this gig proved to be a fantastic night, and all three artists deserve to be on your radar, with Possum Kid in particular serving as a beacon of everything that the scene here in Nottingham can be - with the powers of both creativity and community on full display throughout their set and everything which surrounded it.

Liz Clarke

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Edited by Liz Clarke

Photographs by River Butterworth