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I Am Kloot
“WE’VE been in the studio for the longest time ever recording the new album with Guy Garvey and Craig Potter and, well, they’re enormous,” said singer Johnny Bramwell midway through their set at the intimate Deaf Institute, the first of a four-night residency designed to provide a welcome respite from the aforementioned recording sessions.
Bramwell’s statement was correct: the two Elbow members and long-time friends helming his band’s new album are enormous, still on a high since winning the Mercury Prize a year ago.
But Manchester music lovers have long known that there’s another brilliant local band in Elbow’s generation, albeit one that suffers a little of the “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” syndrome.
On the strength of the new songs previewed tonight, I Am Kloot could soon find the larger audience they deserve.
The evening took the form of two sets, the first, longer part showcasing the most new material and culminating in some much loved oldies, including 86 TVs and the swooning To You, the first few bars of which were greeted with groans of appreciation from the crowd.
The unnamed new songs sound well-worn already – soulful and pained and jazz-inflected like the best of the band’s material.
Now in their 10th year, the trio not only have a new album on the way, but a stop-gap set of B-sides and rarities available at these gigs.
One of them, Glimmer, got an airing in the second set, which felt like an extended encore to a warm, intimate night.
“This is a friends and family evening,” Bramwell had said of the hastily added extra date.
“But I never knew I had that many ****ing friends.” As Johnny and co will find out over the next three nights, they’ve got ‘friends’ all over this city.
I Am Kloot are at The Deaf Institute until Saturday, September 19.
Reviewed: Thu, 17 September, 2009
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