Ought have built somewhat of a reputation ahead of tonight, two records in and a formidable live reputation, the band are met with a packed, excited crowd in the basement of Broadcast tonight.
Last year’s critically acclaimed sophomore record, Sun Coming Down, has impressed many, and after a successful festival circuit are taking their post-punk tracks on the road.
It is not difficult to see where the hype has come from either, as the band open what is to be a Sun Coming Down heavy set with the album’s slow-burning title track.
It builds an impressive atmosphere and groove to ease the crowd into the band’s occasionally awkward rhythms, before ripping through more instantaneous tracks ‘The Combo’ and ‘Passionate Turn’.
The band have a way with creating layers to their sound, where songs grow and grow until breaking point and reach transcendence, such as the final coda of album opener ‘Men for Miles’.
The only problem with this effect is that it is such a jump to these song’s peaks that it sometimes makes the build up to them feel a little laboured.
There is an occasional a slacker, lackadaisical mood to their songs, especially in Tim Keen’s drumming, which often lacks the impact or urgency the songs desire, particularly when counterpointed with Ben Stidworthy’s highly impressive, hypnotic basslines.
Therefore, at times, Ought aren’t quite as captivating as they perhaps deserve to be.
Matt May’s keyboards often fills in as an extra guitar rather than as a traditional synth sound, while Tim Darcy is a perfectly charming frontman, but he doesn’t always possess the stage in a particularly engaging way.
This is a shame because at times, when the band really click, they make everything sound so effortless, such as on last year’s standout track ‘Beautiful Blue Sky’ or the older ‘Habit’, but while they didn’t completely win over this writer, these potential reservations do not seem to bother the crowd too much, who by all accounts respond to the band with rapturous applause, demanding them to “start the set all over again” when they encore on a very high note: debut album’s (sort of) title track ‘Today, More Than Any Other Day’.
There is plenty to be impressed with in this young Montreal-based band, but one feels they haven’t quite hit their full stride just yet.
Words: Adam Turner-Heffer
Photos: Ann-Christin Heinrich
