Having released their fourth (proper, although opinions vary) LP Human Performance earlier this year, New York City’s Parquet Courts have quite rightly been acknowledged as one of the most exciting acts in indie rock around right now.
Where most indie music has largely ditched guitars in favour of synths, the straight-up indie-rock band is becoming an ever rarer anomaly, and yet here are Parquet Courts pressing on with their fun and inventive songwriting, crafting an individual sound with familiar overtones.
Over the years have been refining their sound, arguably improving with every record, and this year’s effort casts little doubt on this idea.
With it comes their largest European tour yet with this being their first visit to Edinburgh and its still fairly new La Belle Angele venue.
The anticipation for the band is palpable, and they are met with an impressive roaring response, as the band rip right into punk anthem ‘Sunbathing Animal’.
The band have a seemingly laid back and easy going approach to their performing, despite the fact that they are incredibly tight at all times.
Their set is unfortunately dogged by poor sound, however, as the relatively new venue doesn’t appear to be the best suited for the band’s guitar-rock based setup.
Unphased, however, the band find their groove on latest singles ‘Dust’ and ‘Berlin Got Blurry’, which despite featuring fairly early on in the set are met with rapturous applause from the crowd.
Though initially a current album heavy set, the band slowly make their way through their older material, with ‘Bodies Made Of’ and ‘Black and White’ from Sunbathing Animal particular highlights, before going even older closing with ‘Light Up Gold II’ from the record of the same name.
So despite not every really enjoying a particularly clear sound throughout the night, Parquet Courts continue to prove they are a force to be reckoned with going forward, not taking themselves too seriously with an enjoyable and enamouring set here tonight.
Words: Adam Turner-Heffer
