Eyemaylisten Music Blog

The opening night of Hidden Depths last night was pretty spectacular. Hosted in London’s Soho Revue Bar, a smart little venue that despite being hidden in Walkers Court, a somewhat interesting road mainly consisting of strip clubs and adult cinemas, was very swish inside. Upon entering we were donned with fabric wrist bands and gold envelopes and directed to a staircase. Once up the staircase we walked into an intimately cosy room, dressed in shabby chic-esque style Hidden Depths wall paper and funky light installations. There was a small stage on the right and bar on the far left, accessible by a small staircase surrounded by a tier of small tables either side. There were no free tables by the time we arrived but looking back on this now, I am glad that’s how it turned out because standing on the small dance floor in front of the stage was possibly where all the best spots to be were anyway.

The night kicked off with Mpho Skeef, a girl with some serious soul and one amazing voice. She woke the crowd up and didn’t let them go until her last breath.. I hadn’t heard her before, which I now know to have been a serious crime on my part. Her set consisted of just three things; a bass guitar, hand drums and her voice. Despite being a very small set, it was by no means a small sound. I was definitely blown away.

The second memorable sound was to come from A.Human, an electro-rock fueled six piece band with an energetic vibe and addictive beat. There wasn’t an area on the stage the vocalist didn’t cover, he was by all accounts all over the place, even taking the time to jump off the stage at one point and smother his sweaty hands affectionately over my friends face. Who needs makeup removing face wipes, eh?Thirdly, was the unique electro-acoustic vibrations of The Shortwave Set a delightfully twisted echo, that really brought a mood to the room. Throughout the night I was repeatedly recommended to look out for these guys by a certain someone and I was in no way disappointed. They pushed the limit on their set time and delivered some seriously intricate tunes, using instruments I couldn’t even name. Click on their name to visit their myspace and check out the song ‘Harmonia’.

Then… The almighty Infadels. They were everything I expected and more… choosing to do an acoustic set they certainly did the stage justice. We had the opportunity to ask the front man and vocalist Bnann Watts some questions before they went on stage…

Luu: Bimey, where did all the money come from?

Bnann: Our own pockets!

Luu: Really! That’s pretty generous!

Bnann: Yeah, well it was kind of reverse busking.. we played then we gave THEM money. (chuckles)

Luu: Did you film it?

Bnann: Yeah.. If you look it up on Youtube there’s a video, we filmed it all!

Luu: Your single is called ‘Free Things For Poor People’ was it ever going to be something that would be more charitable, for a cause or registered charity?

Bnann: It was never going to be a charity single no.. it was always just about what’s going on at the moment, I mean everyones worried about money and the credit crunch.. it was just highlighting that really as a bit of a piss take.. we are all facing the same problem..

Luu: Yeah.. That makes sense… How do you feel people have reacted to the new album? Has the feedback been positive?
Bnann: Definately positive, yeah. I mean I was really surprised, we have done a few gigs since it’s release and already people know the songs and are singing along, so yeah, a completely positive response really..

Luu: Sounds great! So does this mean you are looking forward to Glastonbury? How do you feel about playing? Excited?

Bnann: Excited definitely but I’m looking forward to it. I am a bit nervous but I am looking forward to it, it should be a great weekend.

Luu: Well we won’t keep you any longer, thank you for your time.. and good luck with tonight and tomorrow.

Bnann: Thanks, thanks very much.

Once on stage they gave it all. I certianly bopped around a bit and I think a lot of others did too. Lots of people sang along and for me it was by far the best set of the night, followed by Mpho and The Shortwave Set.. The night went on with lots more fun including a rather interesting set from Marc Almond and awesome sets from DJ Pierre and Propellerheads. I have only highlighted just a few of the amazing sounds.. Hidden Depths certianly began with a bang and pushed all the right buttons. Congrats goes out to Mark Jones, founder of Wall Of Sound for showcasing some fit sounds and really pushing the night to an amazing level. The rest of the night was a beautiful mix of dancing and free San Miguel.. Oh! and one last and rather special thanks goes out to Rupert Runewitsch and co. at DBM Pulse for a totally brilliant night. ^_^

- Luu xx