I'll admit now, I was nauseously excited to see Happyness and The Dandy Warhols perform - so this won't be an entirely impartial review.
Since writing about the debut of Happyness' new track SB's Truck a few weeks ago, tracks from the alt-rock trio's debut album ''Weird Little Birthday'' have all but haunted my playlists with their moribund yet moreish take on early 90's US slacker rock, following acts such as Yuck & Mazes in the revival of the style across the Atlantic today.
Full of gravelly vocals, droll British snickers and thinly veiled references to imagined murders - take "Montreal Rock Band Only", a song seeing the band 'scalping' Arcade Fire's Win Butler ("I'm wearing Win Butler's hair/There's a scalpless singer in a Montreal rock band somewhere") or "Naked Patients", a song openly taking the piss out of death while in a hospital bed ("There's something so funny about a sick body and the things that it does that it shouldn't do") ; there's something incredibly genuine and wildly critical about Happyness. Among the throng of new wave grunge singers today, they are one of the only groups to really nail down the essentials of grunge psyche.
Upon recieving an offer to see them perform with legendary American indie rockers The Dandy Warhols, I really couldn't turn it down - regardless of how far I had to travel back home the next day. The gig I attended was the Nottingham Rescue Rooms show on the 23rd of May, & the 18+ age restriction made for a really enjoyable show, unlike others I've attended at the same venue with a 14+ restriction (take Charli XCX for example). Fans of all ages socialized outside the venue in the rather quaint Monday evening, but I headed straight in to grab a drink and settle towards the back.
To put it bluntly, Happyness were incredible. They have an air of irreverence about them present only in some of the most well travelled musicians. Opening with the almost hypnotic It's on You, a song encapsulating the very essence of a British adolescent summer and the regrets that follow, the audience were evidently (quite unusually) engaged from the get go. The group bantered among each other and the crowd and made for a rather familiar atmosphere, one that would make even the most unseasoned gig goer feel comfortable between their rather outlandish songs.
Playing newer song SB's Truck as well as older songs such as Orange Luz and Anything I Do is All Right before finishing with the group's biggest hit Montreal Rock Band Somewhere, the group really outdid the expectations I had for them. They're one of the most intriguing up and coming groups hailing from the UK today, and I'm looking forward to seeing where time takes Happyness.
Overall Review: 4/5
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