Wild Beasts

Live Review - 60 Million Postcards Bournemouth

Leeds band Wild Beasts graced Bournemouth’s stage last night with a glorious self-defining showcase of sonic eccentricity.

Hotly tipped by critics for their album Two Dancers, it was no wonder the show was a sell-out. I managed to catch up with Benny [guitar] and Tom [bass & tenor] sharing their thoughts on touring, new material, merch, favourite artists and the demise of BBC 6 Music:

Wild Beasts Interview Part1 by Rupert Hellings

Wild Beasts Interview Part2 by Rupert Hellings

The playful wordplay, captivating the sexuality of human nature in many of the lyrics adds to their charm. Coupled with the haunting guitar work form Benny and the spider-like patterns of percussion from Bert left the audience immersed in the music, leaving a prolonged sense still dancing in their ears.

The band were able to relay live (with great conviction) what has been recorded in the studio, reinforcing the talent within the group. A strikingly prominent feature of the band is [front man] Hayden’s howling falsetto voice. Provoking a sense of 19th century duke revelling in romanticism, it is soon brought down to earth, and complimented by the harmonics of the other band members. Wild Beasts are iconically British.

Present at the show was wildlife photographer and presenter Chris Packham (who in despair, managed to buy a spare ticket from a fan) commented: “I think they are fantastic, absolutely fantastic, and not cos of the name, [laughs]. Amazing at the beginning, levelled out, and picked up at the end.”