Inca Hoots/Shatter Effect/The Broken Oak Duet/Terrors Live @ The Marrs Bar Worcester 27/7/13
In the past few years if I had have been asked to recommend a local band, one of the first names I would have uttered would have been that of Inca Hoots, a band that effortlessly merged indie pop with infectious synths to create a unique and euphoric sound that would incite dancing and mass sing-a-long alike. The band released a couple of locally acclaimed EP’s and performed numerous shows across the county and further afield. So you can imagine my obvious dismay when the four-piece band decided to call it a day, at least they decided to end on a high with one final flourish at the Marrs Bar.
Before the main event the soon to be packed venue we treated to a trio of support acts, first up and making their debut in Worcester, Stoke based racket-mongers Terrors, a band that combined meaty hardcore riffs with a dark indie influence, imagine Ian Curtis fronting a rudimentary thrash punk combo and you’re in the right direction. The band gave it their all, with the frontman stalking the audience off stage trying to incite a reaction whilst the band thrashed around on their instruments but in all honesty the band offered little in the way of hooks and left me wanting a big chorus or two to really help the band stand out.
Second to take to the stage were post rock instrumental duo, The Broken Oak Duet, a concise unit that mix clattering drums with stop-start angular riffs to create clever, sharp, spiky soundscapes that managed to a incite a little jerking and appreciative nodding from the reserved masses.
Shatter Effect, regular gigging mates of Inca Hoots served as the final warm-up for the main event with female fronted contagious indie synth pop (think mellow Garbage meets Goldfrapp). Catchy guitar riffs collided wonderfully with stabbing synths whilst lead singer, Rebecca Davies serenaded the audience with such standouts as Forever 27 and Rebecca among others. For those of you who haven’t seen the five-piece they’re definitely worth a look if they return to this fair city.
As soon as Inca Hoots took to the stage the previously subdued audience surged forward and from the first blast of synth, the atmosphere changed into something of a celebration, as every song was embraced like a long lost friend, as the band whipped up a storm with Niall’s guitar chiming, Stu’s punchy synths reverberating around the room, whilst the rhythm section of Joshua and Pete laid down a thick groove propelling the band on. The quartet played everything from early punkier numbers to recent delights such as Elusive Macabre and H.I.T.J.O.N from their most recent self-titled EP. Inca Hoots were on fine form and the audience fed on the energy flooding from the stage, so much so that they even sang back a synth riff to the band as the group delivered fan favourites such as Sin Cera, Noise Pollution and grand finale Cueno (with the assistance of Shatter Effect and Niall joining the audience for a frenzied percussion fuelled conclusion!!).
Inca Hoots final show was a glorious send off for one of the finest local bands out there, the Worcester music scene will be a poorer place without them, so if for some strange reason you didn’t catch them live. I urge you to checkout their recorded legacy online to hear what you missed.
Rhythm & Booze Rating 9