Matisse, Wet Day Café, Sam Eagle

Matisse @ The Inexperienced Door Retailer, Brighton, UK, November 14, 2023,

Nov 19, 2023
By Nick Roseblade
Images by Nick Roseblade
Internet Unique

I don’t like seeing the identical band back-to-back. Particularly in the event you didn’t actually know them going into the primary gig. Did you get pleasure from it as a result of it was all new to you? When you’ve got a preconceived thought of it, might it let it down? These had been the emotions I had when strolling into Brighton’s The Inexperienced Door Retailer for Matisse’s headline present. Fortunately these worries vanished when the band took to the stage.

The primary band of the evening was Wet Day Café. This indie slacker quartet have solely launched two wonderful songs thus far in “Gone for the Summer time” and “Espresso”. These songs really feel like they may have come from the early 00s, when house DIY indie was having a growth. the stuff. A lone songwriter recording on to a Tascam and taking part in all the things themselves. Dwell the songs, performed with a full band, appeared like Connan Mockasin masking Pavement, or was that the opposite means spherical. Both means there was a pleasant bounce to the music. “You Would possibly By no means Come Residence” appeared like Urusei Yatsura masking The White Stripes “Fell in Love with a Lady”, however extra chill. Halfway via their set the band performed a canopy of Surf Curse’s “Seaside Babe”. Chugging guitars, thumping bass and a great deal of cymbals exploded from the stage. It was a delight. The star of the present was “Espresso”. Members of the viewers sang alongside “Lazy, hazy, dreaming, Gotta my toes on the bottom. Ooohh!” and bopped to the music. Their set was over too quickly, however it left the gang wanting extra. Wet Day Café are my new favorite band, and they need to be yours too. Ooohh!

After a short interval Sam Eagle took to the stage. Has it actually been 4 years since Eagle performed The Inexperienced Door? Most likely, however absolutely not… Within the intervening years Eagle has launched two distinctive EP’s. 2020’s One thing Out of Nothing, 2021’s She’s So Good and this 12 months’s unimaginable debut album Are you Listening?. Dwell, these new songs took on a very totally different vibe. They had been looser and extra chilled. “Creamy Pasta Water” is a sub two-minute observe on the album, however stay Eagle elongated it, permitting for drummer Mikey and bassist Jake to have time to shine and solo on sounds that weren’t initially conceived this manner. “What Will get within the Manner of Love?” was a delight stay. Eagle’s lilting lyrics floated above the fragile music he, and the band, created. His remaining track “Flip Me Over” on report is a delicate ballad, however stay it appeared like a combination of Nick Drake and Kieran Leonard. Not a nasty mixture! For this the band left the stage and he captivated the viewers. At one level somebody close to me coughed after which apologised as a result of they had been breaking the temper of the room. Sam Eagle is an actual expertise. He’s very near changing into a subsequent degree singer songwriter. His stay exhibits are fascinating however entertaining. His songs of affection, loss and redemption and genuinely touching, he simply wants that one large track to interrupt him to an even bigger viewers. It could’t be lengthy earlier than that occurs.

Matisse had been the ultimate band of the evening. The final time I’d seen Matisse they had been the opening act. I had been impressed by their model of catchy dreampop. I had an thought of what to anticipate, and to look ahead for, however I used to be not anticipating what they offered to the complete, dare I noticed offered out, crowd. The band opened with a brief instrumental observe. The synth, which was largely hidden in guitars the week earlier than was crisp and glacial. Round this the guitars and bass created an air of anticipation. After this frontman, and songwriter, Matisse Moretti took to the stage. The primary full track was “Heavy Petting”. Large melodies exploded from the audio system. Because the track progresses the collective viewers swayed, danced and had a blast. The band did the identical. “Get on it” was a brand new track. Right here Moretti performed an acoustic. It was slower and barely extra tender than the earlier songs. It confirmed one other aspect to Moretti’s track writing. “Say No Extra” was half cowl, half rework. Initially conceived for his earlier band FLOWVERS, however by no means recorded, it was catchy and featured an acoustic guitar. This modified the sound barely and gave a pleasant little bit of texture to Moretti’s vocals. As with the earlier gig they saved the most effective until final. “Higher than Ever” is their strongest track. Catchy lyrics, “Appears like we’re sticking collectively. It’s going higher than ever”, and guitars and synth to match it was a becoming finish to a different enjoyable, however totally different, efficiency. In Moretti Matisse have a charismatic frontman. At one level he mentioned to the gang “Can everyone transfer up a bit so the individuals on the again can get in”. This was a intelligent factor to do. Firstly, it stopped individuals pushing their weigh in in the back of the gang, however it additionally meant that extra individuals had been on the entrance, participating with him, the band and the music. Matisse have the form of sound that with little bit of luck, and some extra well-crafted songs, might see them 6music playlisted or soundtracking an episode of Made in Chelsea.

And that was it. The gig was over, the home lights got here up and we shuffled out into the darkish and chilly evening. I contemplated in regards to the bands, and their attainable fates, on my means house. It’s unhappy to suppose that Eagle may not be taking part in intimate venues like this within the not-too-distant future. Wet Day Café are lots of enjoyable and are my new favorite band. What would their album sound, and really feel like? Hopefully simply as enjoyable and playful, however stuffed with well-crafted songs. Matisse have but to report something and the prospect of that gave me a heat feeling that the chilling November wind couldn’t minimize via.