LIVE!!! Shelf Lives, the Old Blue Last
SHELF LIVES Old Blue Last, East London 09/01/2 I’m late and the band are on time. It still surprises me that I’m surprised at this, but I’m ever the optimist time-wise. The Old Blue Last is seemingly more open yet somehow much more intimate than my last visit, although it has been some time since my late-20s and memory is a fragile friend. That familiar blend of honest boozer and hip venue remains though, and I slip in to the odd-shaped music space to see Shelf Lives wriggling to get the midweek crowd jiggling on this sharp Tuesday’s eve. Eschewing the preconceptions of a two-piece, the band play cosmic fuzz-funk with the passion of 80s hardcore, the camp of 80s disco, and the edge of 90s rap. It’s a niche blend that also nods to digicore and industrial, but also weaves everything into (dare I say it) a pop-friendly mix that the discerning listener can’t help but admire. Prog-grunge drop-d riffs are slashed out at offbeat rhythms whilst boom-bap backing tracks leave the middle wid...