Madrid’s most exciting young band – four piece garage rock outfit Hinds – played an incredible show at the Tunbridge Wells Forum on Sunday 21st June. In preparation for their appearance at Glastonbury later this summer, the quartet have embarked on a mini-tour of the UK which has also seen them play the British Summertime Festival with The Strokes. In light of this, perhaps playing the Tunbridge Wells Forum was a slightly less audacious affair. Nonetheless, what this venue lacks in size, it makes up for in being one of Britain’s finest alternative venues in terms of atmosphere.
The Forum has hosted many brilliant bands in recent times including the incredible Palma Violets and local Kent boys, Slaves. However, the venue’s past did not prepare the few hundred gig-goers for the excellent performance that enthralled us all when Hinds took to the stage.The quartet seemed perfectly adapted to their environment, allowing them to express themselves with ease. This combination of the talented and innovative nature of Hinds as a band, with the excellent venue that they chose to play is what made this show so hotly anticipated.
However, despite Hinds’ brilliance on the night, one must not overlook the equally impressive display put on by the main support act, Oscar. Fronted by Oscar Scheller, they are a four piece guitar-based indie pop outfit that rely on vocal harmonies and free-floating melody lines to create a very unique sound; one that can simultaneously be linked to the likes of Peace, but also to legendary bands like The Smiths. Lyrically, Oscar are inventive to say the least. In their stand out track, ‘Beautiful Words,’ Scheller exclaims “Invade your inner masturbate” which instantly reminds one of Alt-J’s bizarre lyrics found on their second album. With an EP recently released, I seriously recommend Oscar as a band to watch.
After Oscar had warmed the crowd up, Hinds took to the stage. They instantly set the tone for the rest of the night: a high energy ordeal driven by youthful passion. From the very first minute they stepped onto the stage, they oozed confidence. The crowd’s attention was nowhere other than firmly fixated upon the Spanish quartet. Throughout the night, the charismatic performance of the two guitarists and singers of the band, Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote, surprised and thrilled the audience. The swaggering confidence exuded by the pairing was the kind of confidence one may associate with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, and the chemistry between the two draws comparison with musical partnerships like Chilli Jesson and Samuel Thomas Fryer of Palma Violets.
Musically, the band were flawless. Their guitar-driven sound was even more obvious live, adding an extra dimension to their simple and yet outstandingly enjoyable songs. Standout tracks included ‘Bamboo,’ which had the audience over the moon and newly written track ‘Garden,’ clearly highlighting the positive direction of Hinds’ writing talents. Melodically, Hinds are creative – especially in their use of Cosials’ and Perrote’s contrasting vocal styles, adding variation to their music and preventing it from becoming boring.
Perhaps the highlight of the night came as Hinds played their last track; their newest single ‘Davey Crockett.’ Before it began, the band invited the audience up on to the stage. Cosials’ then exclaimed “This must be a record. More people on the stage than there are off it,” and the band proceeded to tear through their final track while the elated audience danced like it was their last day on Earth. A truly electrifying moment of live music.
Hinds are clearly a band to watch in the future. When they have an album out and therefore a steadier platform from which to build a larger fanbase, they will be able to show the world exactly how good they are. They are sure to be equally great at Glastonbury, so if you’re lucky enough to have a ticket for next weekend, make sure you watch them – you certainly will not regret it.
Words by Harry Kite