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On the whole I was reminded of East European folkniks on good drugs, with slightly deranged electric skullduggery to the fore. There you have it, then - the Doors meets surf rock via a Romany camp, with cosmic Russians still out there! Yep, they really were kinda neat! So, to the main event. Tunng immediately set to, like lambs about to slaughter their public with a series of psyche-folk blows. A six piece outfit packing a restrained power. This was unleashed upon us like a stream scampering along, with a rush of early melt-water as spring sets in, and they were just as fresh and vibrant. Tunng are a band churning out strangely beautiful little songs that they manage to blow up into near epic proportions through their musicianship and sheer exuberance. I doubt they would perform at all if they weren’t sure that they were going to have just as good a time as those watching. One of their ‘little’ songs was an instrumental, and yet it still appeared to have lyrics, reaching out to you like gossamer threads. If Tunng have a weakness, then the Achilles’ heal is when Becky is expected to provide lead vocals. So, on a couple of occasions the songs seemed to lack a certainty of delivery and the momentum stuttered. But, as my niece declared at the end of their set “If you didn’t like that you should be taken outside and shot!” For me, it was as if I had just experienced three seasons together, with only winter missing, as Tunng don’t have room for even a short cold spell in their splendid sunny repertoire. Miss them at your peril. |
