Off the back of a ridiculously busy trans-Atlantic schedule, Tasmin Stephens (TTSSFU) makes her final stop on the road in Birkenhead’s Future Yard, supported by Wyatt.
Having less than a week prior landed back on English soil following several appearances in Austin, Texas for SXSW, TTSSFU embarked upon a UK tour that saw her travel from north to south to Wales and back again. A gruelling tour schedule, no doubt. However, it serves as evidence of Tasmin’s hard work both on stage and in the studio.
Let’s begin with TTSSFU’s fellow Manchester-based alt-country rockers Wyatt, interviewed for IINAG in advance of the gig here. Lead singer Harvey O’Toole, who splits his time between this band and Pyncher, has assembled an outfit that includes his brother Evan, trumpeter Emily Mason and Joe Ward on drums, whose other projects include Dek and Factory Floor. Wyatt has the knack for harnessing bare honesty and power and thrusting it upon an audience in a style reminiscent of Crazy Horse or Songs: Ohia. That is to say, the fusion of alt and country influences complements each other well, and the expression of Harvey’s honest lyrics and the band’s effortless musicianship is knitted together to form a compelling group. Stand-out track Favours is perhaps the best example of the band’s ability to draw an audience in with soft country tones before soldiering on into pure rock power, complemented by Emily’s euphoric brass section. In our interview, the band hinted at being in a place where they are still finding themselves. As an audience, we are able to enjoy that already fascinating journey with them.
The venue itself was packed with music nerds of all stripes. It’s refreshing to see an independent venue such as Future Yard that is off the beaten Merseyside track. Venues like the Jacaranda and the Arts Club offer a platform for up-and-coming artists to showcase their fantastic art, as well as providing a place for fans to experience that music in a communal space. Financially, it is a difficult time both for independent businesses and the gig-goers that these venues rely on to keep the lights on, but the shows that venues like Future Yard put on hold a special place in the heart of music communities across the country.
On Friday, TTSSFU on the Future Yard stage overdelivered. Stepping in front of the crowd with a characteristically wide smile, the band launch in to a set consisting of the fascinating alt-blend of shoegaze, punk and pop. The appropriately American track ‘California’ opens the show to a packed room. What strikes me is the total mix of people in the crowd; many a Radio 6 listener of all generations seems to have heeded Steve Lamacq’s endorsement at SXSW and also will have tuned in to TTSSFU’s appearance at the Radio 6 festival the Wednesday before this Future Yard show. Tasmin’s rise is far from steady; her popularity has rocketed, and rightly so.
It’s not just the Lamacqites that have made the trip. The crowd even contained head-bangers whose ages were in the single digits, propped up on the back bar of the venue for a better view. The show was a real encapsulation of what makes live music great.
The songs flit between a Just Mustard-style of eerie creepiness, although there is a lot more energy in these songs, and a surprisingly traditional addition of punk music. The temptation to put TTSSFU into a shoegaze label must be resisted in order to understand the sonic direction of the music. The result can be described as chaotic. ‘Cat Piss Junkie’, introduced by Tasmin as a song about ‘pissing yourself in Wigan North West train station’, the huge smile etched still on her face, has the whole crowd laughing and very much on her side. She enters the crowd during ‘Studio 54’ for a quick dance, buoyed perhaps only by the craziness of a musician’s lifestyle. The songs, too, contain tales of life’s messiness and poor decisions made by ourselves and the people around us. Tasmin’s lyrics are relatable, and her band elevate them, compelling us to listen intently. Long may Tasmin embrace the chaos.
The concoction of havoc, hard work and quality music suggests that TTSSFU has created the perfect storm of success for herself. We envy musicians and don’t envy them all at once. It is impressive that, in a world where rent can consume half of our income, exceptional musicians are still rising to the top.
Find TTSSFU here.
Find Wyatt here.
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