Ugly have had a turbulent career thus far. They originally emerged in the mid-2010s producing indie-rock that built them a following, but grew too close to the sounds of King Krule for comfort or originality. It felt like they might be on the edge of making it big in that space but, instead, they went on hiatus. Through the first few years of this decade, you could have been forgiven for thinking the band were over. But then they came back, with singles such as ‘I’m Happy You’re Here’ and ‘Sha’ introducing a band infinitely better than before. The first felt inspired by fellow London-via-Cambridge band Black Country, New Road, with the band producing their own brand of sprawling art-rock. The second a track that felt right out of the best 60s folk-rock had to offer, with a tint of their own cynicism. Since then, they’ve been gradually building a following, helped by supporting Black Country, New Road on tour. Their only EP, last year’s Twice Around the Sun, was met positively and showcased the range of the band’s talents, albeit all too briefly.
Now, though, the band seem to be moving into a new era, their best yet. At their show at YES Pink Room, over half of the set comprised of new songs. These were received rapturously by the crowd, which was a lot more active than expected for band as folky as Ugly can be. On the song ‘The Wheel’, vocalist-slash-synth-player Jasmine Miller-Sauchella even managed to get a mosh pit going by charging into the crowd – an impressive feat for a song so clearly inspired by traditional English folk that even features a pretty significant a capella segment. This response was reflective of the material on offer: Ugly have kept their existing palette – with folk, 60s revivalism and art-rock at the core – while adding in extra elements. At points, they were jazzy. At others, the band added more of an edge with jagged guitars. The one thread running through it all was how truly proficient they all are in handling their instruments – the guitarists’ hands made shapes the human mind couldn’t fathom, for example. Each track seemed more complicated than the last, all while remaining fundamentally accessible.
Overall, the audience seemed to leave the gig in excitement and anticipation for what the band will do next. Ugly’s latest single, ‘Next to Die’, is among their most impressive, and from their live show it’s clear they’ve still got a lot more up their sleeves. However, the band’s reticence to play some of their older tracks was notable, even the ones made post-hiatus. ‘Hands of Man’ and ‘I’m Happy You’re Here’, both from last year’s Twice Around the Sun, didn’t make the setlist. Part of this can be explained by their strong stylistic similarities to Black Country, New Road, but still it did feel like the band was moving on a bit too quickly from what they’d done before, even if their new direction is a better one.
Support act KITTY unfortunately didn’t impress quite as much. While clearly all talented musicians, it felt like they were scared of pushing the limits of their abilities. Each song was pretty enough, yes, but slow. Each instrument – including, most notably, a trombone – seemed to take turns rather than coming together. In the few moments where everything did collide, they sounded great, and vocals courtesy of the eponymous Kitty were also impressive. But the performance as a whole felt boring by the end. It’s a good job Ugly, at least, could put on a really great gig.
