The Shh Live at Coach & Horses

Around a hundred people gathered at Coach & Horses for a relaxed evening of live music by local band The Shh. The Shh are (two-thirds of the Beangrowers) composed of Alison Galea on vocals, guitar and synthesizer, and Ian Schranz on bass, drums and vocals. The Shh can be summarised as sweet summery music with pretty melodies and moody lyrics. This gig on the home shore is a precursor to their Italian tour, where they will be playing to audiences in Palermo, Catania and Syracusa, among others. In accordance with custom, the gig starts late at 10:14pm. 

Tonight they will be playing tracks from their EP The Burning Love and other songs. They start with ‘All Things With Love’, a happy indie pop tune, one appropriate for summer cruising and beach barbeques. Using well-spaced and simple but not simplistic chords, The Shh surreptitiously transform the venue into an open air stage at sunset. Alison’s vocals are spot-on as usual, her high notes are reached without strain. Ian's deep voice occasionally joins in providing a contrast.
The Shh introduce a strong eighties vibe on the synthesizer and bass guitar in ‘Song for Now’, which begins like a power ballad. The tracks are very similar in terms of lyrics and theme,  as well as the repeated use of oohs and aahs reminiscent of 60s pop songs, however they are different enough to keep the audience attentive. 

‘Antichrist of love’ begins in a sultry, whispery tone from Alison; the power of her voice gradually increases as Ian joins in. This more serious song about heartbreak is set apart from the other light-hearted tracks by its slower tempo. An area where The Shh continually excel is in describing emotion through music, both with the chords and tempo they choose and their lyrics. These lyrics match the sound perfectly, complimented here by Alison’s powerful high notes at the climax of the song. 

Ian takes a seat at the drums to perform percussion on ‘Just Like You’, another cute 70s style pop song that reminds me of the Monkees. It's great to see some good music coming out of just two musicians. Of course they are the indie royalty of the Maltese Islands, rising to fame as the Beangrowers and now, minus their regular bassist, as The Shh.The duo continue to impress the audience with tracks that can easily stand alone as singles, and this is true for ‘Written in the stars’. The catchy chorus and bouncy drum beat makes this one a stand out track. 

Around halfway through the performance, The Shh played a cover of ‘Nightcall’ by Kavinsky & Lovefoxx. I felt it was an odd choice of song to cover because, despite its irresistible catchiness, the song is rather downbeat. I wouldn’t like to typecast them, but The Shh do upbeat so well that it seems a shame to go for a demure sound. The cover was a very faithful rendition of the original, and while not bad at all, didn't bring the summery goodness of The Shh. 

‘Burning love’ is the title track from The Shh’s EP. It is another slow song that deviates from the upbeat side of The Shh into the dark side of the moon. It follows Nightcall aptly with a continuation of eighties synthesizer chords and slow drums, however it is not a stand out track.  
The penultimate track is ‘So over’, a dull song about breakup that is actually the first track of the 5 on the EP. For the first time the vocals from Ian and Alison don’t harmonize, creating a jarring intro to the song. The guitar and drums are perfectly good but the vocals kind of ruin the song. The reprise towards the end serves as an awkward pause that confuses the audience into thinking the song is so over, but then it returns for another round of the chorus. I am unimpressed but the audience has clearly enjoyed it, cheering loudly. 

Setlist pilfered from the scene

The final track revives the eighties-sounding synth wave that The Shh have mastered and blended into a modern pop sound. ‘God Hates Us’ is a sad song which picks up the synth-pop sound laid down in ‘Nightcall’. The lyrics here are serious and sad but hopeful. The harmony of Alison’s vocals at a higher pitch than Ian’s are soulful and resonating. There is a great little interlude in the middle of the  song where the soft synth stands alone. It was a wise decision to end the night on this darker side of The Shh, as they began with the lighthearted pop and gradually matured into grown-up emotions.  

It would be easy to assume The Shh are nothing more than a summery pop band, but they have shown that they can also achieve a more serious tone. Playing music both from their EP and other non-EP tracks, The Shh have brought a little sunshine to a dark winter night.

Photos: (1) The Shh Facebook page, (2,3,4) personal photos

When: 7th March 2013

Where: Coach & Horses, Msida

Who: The Shh

Price: 3e

Review: Skimmed launch Summer Lovers

Members of the Maltese alternative scene gather at the Royal British Legion in Valletta to watch Hey Sus, a band we haven't heard from in a while, and Skimmed, who are launching their second album Summer Lovers.

Hey Sus are the opening act for tonight, they build up the crowd with their fresh indie pop energy. Their sound is quite different to the main act, providing a strong contrast to Skimmed’s darker sound. They have certainly improved since their last performance; when will we be able to hear an extended set from them? Hopefully very soon. 

The British Legion in Valletta is an unremarkable setting in that it is so similar to the other venues chosen for live performances by our local bands. The bands were perched on a small stage in the main hall, a deep room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. Chandeliers provide a sense of false grandeur, confirmed by the olive green curtains covering every wall. This is the setting picked by Skimmed to launch their new album Summer Lovers, setting a tone of grungy rock with elements of post-punk and dirty sexy lyrics. 

 

Alexandra Aquilina is the centre of attention, literally, in the centre of the stage on lead vocals and synthesizer, next to her is Daniel Borg on lead guitar. Frederico Cilia is the band’s bassist, and Christopher Mercieca is their drummer. For the launch they are also joined by Daniel Abdilla (from Clandestines) on another synthesizer, Michael Galea also on drums, and Alex Alden and Rachel Tedesco Triccas as backing singers. Everyone on stage looks like they belong to a 60s rock band, except for Abdilla who looks like a member of a screamo/post-punk band.

Skimmed begin with ‘Ronnie’ and ‘Fingernails’, songs that they released on Soundcloud, and follow with the album’s title track ‘Summer Lovers’. Each track follows from the previous seamlessly by retaining a common tone: this grungy rock with a strong bass line and guitar, blending with the rough and smooth vocals. It would be exciting to hear some of these tracks accompanied by a saxophone. 

Alexandra’s vocals have improved since her performance at Sickfest. She is still sometimes off-key, but in her stronger moments she channels Karen O. The backing singers are also sometimes off-key, which makes me wonder if this is being done on purpose – and for most bands that would sound ridiculous, but with Skimmed the deliberate sloppiness is plausible. Skimmed isn't a finely-tuned operation. The sloppiness seems part of their appeal.

Skimmed play a cover of OMD’s ‘Enola Gay’ which introduces the darker half of the album. The use of the synthesizer gives an 80s synth-pop sound, reminiscent of bands like The Cure and Erasure that experienced a comeback recently.

Alexandra’s stage presence is sexy and energetic but at the same time contained, she has a short hemline but a high neckline. She channels the persona on the cover of the album, a girl in a hotel room with a man. The hall is heating up and people shed their outer layers, preparing for a bedroom duel with Alexandra.

Skimmed continue with ‘Ghost in the Mirror’, a strong track which picks up the eerie synth-pop sound combined with dark and sultry lyrics. As the third or fourth song to use the synth-pop style, ‘Freak Show’ is repetitive. However, Alexandra’s shouty vocals, reminiscent of Peaches, work well with the rest of the instruments to produce another dark song. They perform well together as a band and tighten up in their synchronicity as the performance advances. At midnight the crowd is well into it, swaying and tapping along to the beat. Some people indulge in a little head banging, but there is no mosh pit tonight.

The set continues with ‘Tiger Tiger’ and the band sustains their energy, which must be difficult despite their youth as the album is heavy and demanding. Their songs follow a pattern, beginning with a quiet intro which becomes louder and louder as it builds into an aggressive climax and finishing on that note. They continue to use the same synthesizer sound, which negates its effect by becoming monotonous and repetitive. Skimmed continue with a strong 80s vibe in ‘Devil’s Alibi’, where the changing bass line sounds a bit like the Black Keys until the drums overpower it. ‘Isobel’ is perhaps the darkest song yet, it moves towards a prog rock style but still it is more of the same. This track would fit well in the soundtrack to a neo-noir film. 

They end on ‘Dream Girl’, a sweeter song which also ends the album.

Skimmed had a certain style in mind for ‘Summer Lovers’, a style that carries through in the album artwork, with its strong bold lines and sleazy hotel room photographs. The style also binds together the tracks on the album, providing a common theme in the sexy sordid lyrics and aggressive vocals, while the guitars and drums pull everything together as a solid frame. 

Photos: (1) Skimmed Facebook page (2) personal photo (3, 4) Skimmed website (5) personal photo

When: 23rd February 2013

Where: Royal British Legion, Valletta

Who:Hey Sus, Skimmed

Price: 7e