Hypophora, Tinned Fruit & Buffalo Frame – Zafiros, Truro (Live Review)
My Monday nights are typically monopolised by dullness. Fatigue from work is usually squealing at me from the right, whilst the reality of the long week ahead elbows me from the left. However, when spent in the company of three quality bands instead, these tedious evenings can be transformed into something quite magnificent – and here’s the proof. Kick-starting said evening were one of Cornwall’s tasty blues acts. Buffalo Frame may have refused to leave third-gear energy-wise, but their sound was distinct enough not to fall into a stereotypical blues category. The band claim to be influenced by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Doors and Johnny Cash, and from their sound you can crisply hear elements of these carefully filtrated inspirations. The group certainly possess all the ingredients to be remarkable, but a touch of work on their stage-presence wouldn’t go amiss.
Second to perform were undoubtedly one of the most vibrant and raw bands to thrive within our local music scene. Tinned Fruit are a grungy, punky ball of sizzling vigour that never fail to leave me hopelessly fangirling at the magnitude of their performances. Needless to say, Monday evening was no omission to this rule as they supplied a slice of musical rapture with their quirky dynamics, diverse sounds and sheer passion. They even had me wanting to bawl my eyes out fanatically at the animated altitudes of their performance – regardless of playing to an audience who barely acknowledged their existence!
As a tough reviewer I’m hawk-eyed in finding small dynamics to critique upon, yet there’s absolutely nothing to criticise about their set, and this is one of their conventions that never fails to blow my mind. The group are already gift-wrapped and ready to be catapulted into a much larger spotlight. My only advice for them is as follows: get out of Cornwall and tour everywhere you possibly can, your mind-blowing talent is utterly wasted in our county and you deserve more.
It was always going to be difficult to top such an act, yet alt-rock group Hypophora were certainly eager to try. With a focused deliberation, their on-stage dynamics were sharp enough to slice through steel, and their delivery was, unexpectedly, as intense as ever. As is their custom, the band also glistened with their tight stage relationships, and once again, guitarist Karum Cooper demonstrated his ability to make me feel physically ill with his never-ending supply of talent. Is he even human? I’m starting to have my doubts.
Watching Hypophora’s evolution has been interesting. They’ve delved into pop-punk and seared off into an avenue that’s almost channelling post-hardcore vibes. Yet throughout their transition they’ve never failed to enflame captivating live performances. I’m not particularly fond of female-fronted bands and I still think that they have a bit of work to do on varying their vocal aspects, but Hypophora are a group that I’d eagerly see time and time again until they’re sick of seeing me in the crowd. Oh, and don’t forget to catch them on tour in November!
Written by Keira Trethowan Photos by Craig Taylor-Broad