Fields + Hush The Many - 22nd April, The Glee Club

Fields are one of the most promising new British bands of 2007, currently touring with newcomers Hush the Many (Heed the Few) in support. Fields recently released their debut album "Everything Last Winter" to positive reviews, as well as their new single "Charming the Flames", whilst Hush the Many released their new single "Song of a Page" just a day after this live performance. The venue is a little club that gave both bands a rather intimate setting as there was practically no distance between the stage and the crowd.

Hush the Many (Heed the Few) began the night and played a 30-40 minute opening set. Similarly to Fields, Hush the Many are a mixed gender band who use both male and female vocalists. The band have expanded on the 2 guitars, bass and drummer set-up by adding a cellist to the live performance, which adds a lot to their sound. As the band began to play they seemed to lack confidence. Many of the songs they played had a quiet, loud, quiet kind of structure. The songs would usually weave in-between quiet acoustic verses, which would build up to explosive and energetic full band performances, usually dying back down to just acoustic guitar and vocals. It was the quieter sections which proved to be the least confident.

The lead male vocalist's Placebo sounding vocal styles often struggled to be heard over the ambience of people chatting at the bar. In contrast the louder parts of their songs grabbed much more attention. When the whole band were playing loudly they had a greater atmosphere and more energy. These parts of their songs were much more interesting to watch and showed their greatest strengths. However it often seemed like the climaxes didn't last long enough compared to their build-ups. The band did gain more confidence towards the end of their set after what seemed like a nervous start. Hush the Many show a lot of potential, fusing alternative rock with elements of post rock. Hopefully if they release a debut album and gain popularity it could mean that their future live shows grab more attention from the crowds.

Fields then opened their set with their old single "If You Fail, We Fail" and it was impossible to ignore just how loud this band played. The keyboards and guitars must have been turned to 11 for this performance, which in such a small setting added a huge atmosphere to their sound. Complete with their mascot bird sitting on their amplifiers, Fields hour long set was an incredible performance. The band played all of their debut album's standout tracks flawlessly and with so much energy throughout. Classics such as "Charming the Flames", "The Death" and "Songs for the Fields" had the crowd listening intently.

When Fields play live they sound like a much more rocked out version of themselves. When listening to the album you pay more attention to the brilliant vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars, but live the guitars are much more distorted and the keyboards are much more dominant than on the record. This however is definitely not something that is off-putting. Every member still performs the songs as good as they are on the album, yet takes them to whole new levels. Even the slower songs such as "Schoolbooks" and "You Don't Need This Song (To Fix Your Broken Heart)" were given an extra punch. Fields performed with a great balance. While they felt much more like a loud rock band than in the studio, they still kept the attention to detail. It is incredible that the male and female vocal performances can still deliver their amazing harmonies and emotional range live. Whilst playing practically all of their debut album, they still had time for some memorable B-sides including "Knives".

Written by: Frenchie / Jamie