Words by Emily Talbot / Pics by Ed King
Sunday 25th October night saw The Black Tambourines play at The Sunflower Lounge, joined by The Terror Watts and The Red Cords; a loud, energetic and varied show which attracted a buzzing crowd.
The Terror Watts, a local band, put on a good performance. Their Grunge Punk vibe and lead singer’s unusual, yet tuneful, voice gave the band had a strong sound that suited them well.
It could even be said that they knew it suited them well, and therefore were reluctant to vary their music; as all the songs kind of blurred into one, they had less of an effect. The Terror Watts clearly have talent, between the lead’s voice and the band’s heavier instrumentals they have a lot of potential.
Next up, The Red Cords – a support band from Falmouth (The Black Tambourines‘ home turf) who’s set was upbeat and infectious. The multiplicity of voices on stage, alongside strong, fast and lively guitar rhythms, brought out a Surf Rock vibe.
The only fault I found with their performance was that it took them a while to get into their set; it wasn’t until the third or fourth song that they seemed to really be enjoying themselves (they looked pretty awkward and nervous up until that point) which was a shame because it was well played.
Finally The Black Tambourines, tonight’s headliners, came onto the stage with a lot of confidence. And rightly so. I found myself getting far more into this set than I had expected, with the band showing an inescapable, raw energy playing live.
Watching them together, playing and sharing on stage jokes, was enjoyable too; it’s good for an audience when the people on stage are so comfortable with one another. Although at one point the lead singer, Sam Stacpoole, did rubbish Birmingham… but he apologised soon after, so I’ll let him off.
The Black Tambourines executed their set well, with a wide variety of sounds and genres throughout; having been together for four years you can see their sounds have changed over the years, as they’ve matured and progressed.
Their catchy rhythms, alongside skewed and distorted guitar riffs, led by Stacpoole’s indie vocals left an original and alternative sound. Playing songs from their new album, which was well received, The Black Tambourines’ set showed how the last four years (since their self titled debut) have created a heavier but cleaner edge to the band.
Their first three songs in particular, ‘I Wanna Stay Away’, ‘Punk Simon’, and ‘She Don’t Mind’, 
made for a strong opening to their performance. The Black Tambourines then mixed in some older songs, such as ‘27-25 Blues’ and ‘Bad Days’, which worked well alongside the newer stuff, showing a history of consistently strong music. The band’s encore was equally as lively and brilliant (I stayed for the whole song despite desperately needing to run off to catch the train).
And it’s fair to say since coming home, I’ve listened and re-listened to The Black Tambourines, which is a rare thing for me. But due to their variety, from ragged Garage Rock to skewed riffs and melodic Indie, they’re a band that are easy to listen to. Continuously.
For more on The Black Tambourines, visit http://theblacktambourines.bandcamp.com/
For more from The Sunflower Lounge, visit http://thesunflowerlounge.com/
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