BPREVIEW: Victories at Sea @ Hare & Hounds 13.05.17

Words by Ed King

On Saturday 13th May, Victories at Sea play at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) – with support from Mutes, Matters + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam.

Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at £5 (adv) – as presented by This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

Last time Birmingham Review saw Victories at Sea was back at the Hare & Hounds in January 2016, three months after their debut album – Everything Forever – was unleashed on the world. And now it’s back to the familiar Kings Heath venue, this time with a new EP and some absurdly stonking support in tow.

But the masters of maritime (…nice) haven’t been floating around aimlessly (…ok) for the past year and half, with their five track A Place to Stay EP released on Static Caravan Records on 5th May.  And shiver me techno timbers (…the last nautical reference I’m going make) it’s dark twist of brooding electronica meets meaty indie rock; all the goodness you’d expect from a Victories at Sea endevour. Fair to say it’s had its airplay at Birmingham Review HQ – with everything from Swervedriver and Explosions in the Sky to The Cure thrown around for comparison.

It’s a beautifully produced record no matter what your reference point, with some signature/ethereal melodies to send you blissfully out across the waters (accidental metaphor). But with Helen Knott, whose words I trust sometimes more than my own, citing the ‘slick and controlled’ sound from Everything Forever as a frayed edge to the sharpness of a live performance, we shall see what comes off stage on Saturday. Only a fiver an’ all; oddly accessible considering the line up would round off Day One at a small festie.

And as for the supports… Two from the FOMA portfolio: Matters, Mutes – both of whom Birmingham Review last saw at a FOMA showcase in Blotto Studios in mid March; click here for Aatish Ramchurn’s photo led feature in THE GALLERY. Both bands would be worth a fiver each, but with Mutes’ ‘sprawling debut full length album’ waiting in the wings, No Desire – out 2nd June, this is a good chance to see them polishing the final product.

Then there’s the perennial bridesmaid and winner of the Most Syllables Award, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. Or as Jeopardy would call them, ‘things that make Cannon Hill Park more fun’. Always worth a stop, look and listen. And whilst we’re on garrulous popular culture references, here’s our Graham with a quick reminder…

‘Sirens’ – Victories at Sea (from the 2016 album Everything Forever)

Victories at Sea perform at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) on Saturday 13th May, with support from Mutes, Matters + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam – as presented by This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on Victories at Sea, visit www.victoriesatsea.co.uk

For more on Mutes, visit www.mutesuk.bandcamp.com

For more on Matters, visit www.soundcloud.com/mattersband

For more on Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, visit www.facebook.com/sunshinefrisbeelaserbeam

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For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

For more from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk