hush collector

Went to the inaugral gig of Pete's lovely Hush Collector project last night, and really enjoyed it. First gigs are really tricky, especially when your sound is based upon delicacy and balance rather than energy and adrenelin. But the band wisely chose to play in a venue that suited their sound - Hove's dark, warm Sanctuary Cellar, a venue whose low roof and modest size ensured a good, vibey spirit amongst the attendees, amongst whom were myself and the rest of Assistant, Mark, Dan, Michi, Sandra, Chris, Benedict, Keith, and fellow Brighton blogger Abi Rhodes, who beat me to getting a review up.

Having negotiated a support band who sounded like they made incidental music for Richard Curtis films, Hush Collector took to a low stage in the corner of the room and spilled off the edges, giving the pleasant sensation that they were almost stood amongst the crowd at times. Their music is focused and bright, hazy rhythms with warm acoustic guitars and Katie and Poppy's doubled vocals, creating a gentle, country-tinged brand of melancholia. I was expecting them to be ethereal and airy but they weren't at all, the best moments coming when they pushed up the volume and locked into a groove. All the pianos and acoustic guitars might get a bit much for an unreconstructed indie kid like myself but Pete's super guitar playing, which dropped in and out of the mix, was really thrilling at the moments when it would appear unheralded with some new tough, bluesy riff. They were great.

You can visit their deceptively new-agey website here and get a copy of their CD while you're at it!

Momentarily sated with precise musicianship and delicate sophistication, you can see Pete back to form forgetting his guitar parts and hammering out stupid, repetitive indie rock with Assistant at the Cable Club on December 7th, don't forget...