The last date of Hush The Many’s ‘Mind the Sprawl’ tour goes down a treat. Tucked away and not afraid to experiment under the low ceiling upstairs of Bunkers Hill, the quartet play richly detailed folk overlaid with post-rock soundscapes.
Nima, the lead singer/guitarist, exudes accomplishment and warmth, charming the audience with his music, thanks and smiles. Ruben, the guitarist, draws whalesong and a host of other sounds from his guitar using an e-bow. Alex, on bass, adds exceptionally delicate female vocals. Joanna plays her skeletal electric cello intimately, with a concentrated expression of happiness on her face. Each musician plays only where they fit into the songs – there is as much not playing as there is playing, an understated structural control that gives integrity to their sound.
Their vocals whittle away your anxiety; at times building to moments of tranquil beauty, at times scratching away the surface of gentle folk music to reveal a harsher place where the sounds twist around, turning your appreciation of beauty into appreciation of anguish.
Greg, on drums, met them at the Small World Festival. He liked them so much he jumped onto the stage and started playing; an inspired if somewhat unconventional way of recruiting a band member.
The band got Arts Council funding, and you can hear why. Nima said this has ‘really helped massively’ in allowing them to do the tour. Their E.P., Mind the Sprawl, is available on general release mid-November and you can see them at 93 Feet East in London supporting Acron Family on Nov 15th, or at the Amnesty Festival.
After a sumptuous set, ending on ‘I Wish I Wish for a Happy Ending’, this aurally intelligent band got what they wished for from the crowd and from me!
Hush the Many played Bunkers Hill on 7th October.
Photos by Al Greer ©
www.hushthemany.com
