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15th March 2017

Live: Mitski

Despite an uncertain start, Mitski pulls another powerful performance out of the bag
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9th of March at Ruby Lounge

7/10

Mitski Miyawaki released her fourth album last year. A punk-tinged indie rock album, Puberty 2 blended catchy hooks and grungy guitars with emotional excess. Mitski’s peculiar lyrics and songwriting talent led to the album being well-received across the board. It even garnered one of the highest honours achievable in music: Editor’s Pick in The Mancunion‘s albums of the year list! It is possibly due to this that the Japanese-born singer and bassist opted to make another pass through the UK touring her most recent album. After playing at the Deaf Institute in October last year, Mitski performed at the slightly larger Ruby Lounge last week.

The venue itself is a peculiar space with a curvy bar and awkwardly placed pillars. It is probable that it was not initially meant for live performances, seeming more appropriate for club nights. However with a beer and a view of the stage minor venue gripes become unimportant.

Supporting Mitski on the night are Personal Best, who also opened for her band at the Deaf Institute. The Portsmouth band’s brand of saccharine indie is a somewhat stark juxtaposition to the headliner. Both bands share an unpolished aspect to vocals, however Mitski uses this to add a raw and gritty power to her songs. Personal Best, in contrast, make me feel like I’ve stumbled into a 3 a.m. karaoke bar on indie night. Where Mitski wants “a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony”, Personal Best want to “kiss you in the street, where everyone can see”. These sentiments are accompanied by a formulaic indie-pop backing. The result is an uninspiring performance.

After the ordeal ends and glasses are replenished, Mitski makes her entrance to the audience’s applause. The band get off to a shaky start with Miyawaki being mostly inaudible on ‘Dan The Dancer’ due to problems at the sound desk. The issues are quickly resolved, although it is unfortunate that the second song on Mitski’s setlist and the first fully audible track is ‘Once More To See You’, a sombre and slow track off the new album which does little to fire up the crowd. However, the band quickly find their feet with a couple of tracks from third album Bury Me At Makeout Creek. ‘I Don’t Smoke’, a distorted lament for an absent lover, acts as a preface to the rest of the show.

From this point onwards, the band are in their element. Mitski’s simple yet slick bass lines are contrasted with the demented glee with which drummer Casey Weissbuch attacks his drums. The band seem slightly more free to pick and choose their setlist without as much weight on Puberty 2 as their last show. Their newly expanded back-catalogue suits the live setting well. With an even mix of intense rock and more sensitive ballads the show offers passion and respite in equal parts. ‘I Want You’ has the crowd quietly attentive, whereas new hit track ‘Your Best American Girl’, one of last year’s best singles, sees us yelling along to the chorus.

The set closed with a solo performance of ‘Last Words Of A Shooting Star’. It’s a tender resignation to the inevitable death that Mitski assumes will follow a bit of aeroplane turbulence. The beautiful yet quirky track would be an excellent way to end a set, but it wouldn’t be quite Mitski. She returns for a single encore to perform ‘Class of 2013’, which sees her standing alone on stage screaming into her distorted guitar. That seems more like it.


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