Gig Review - The Head with support from Jabbawoki and Tranqua Lite at Hyde Park Book Club

Yesterday Soundscape Events hosted a night of music from American indie-pop trio The Head, with support from Jabbawoki and Tranqua Lite at the quaint Hyde Park Book Club.

Kicking the night off was acoustic rock group Tranqua Lite. The band are new on the Leeds music scene and have just released their debut single.

The group definitely have a lot of potential and talent, but their sound isn't quite fluid or coherent yet. There are some excellent aspects of their playing and some of their songs are superb, but there are also some are a little bland and safe. Specifically, the two tracks that they opened with. They were washed-out, threadbare and need to be revamped or replaced ASAP.

Also whoever did their sound check hadn't got it right. All the levels were a little off, which made their music sound unbalanced and clumsy. All you could hear was drums and you could barely hear the vocals.

However, as their set progressed, they improved dramatically. The bass was beefier, their riffs had these wonderfully catchy blues and jazz undertones, they wove in some charming, ambient harmonies and as a result, their sound had a gorgeous depth that filled the whole room.

Near the end of their set they welcomed rapper Salem Focus to the stage, and immediately they resonated this colossal, radioactive energy. It was a cool contrast to the ambient harmonies and intricate riffs and showed that the group aren't afraid to jam and incorporate a gritty edge.

Overall, it was a good performance, they just need to work on finding their own bespoke sound and to take the time to indulge in experimenting with things. The first two tracks were a bit tame and Tranqua Lite are more than capable of creating something original and clever.

Up next was the charismatic Jabbawoki. Their music sounds like a lovechild of Ratboy and Arctic Monkeys, with funk undertones.

Unfortunately however, they're not very consistent. When they're good, they emit an uber cool vibe and bash out these incredible riffs. But you can tell which tracks they haven't rehearsed as much and the odd track sounds a little disjointed and underwhelming.

They did three covers, which is too many. It slightly cheapened their set as it made them look a little unprepared (especially as their singer had to read his lyrics from a sheet on one of their original tracks). The two Kendick Lamar covers were interesting on their own but there was no need to do both, and their cover of Katy B's 'On a Mission' was a carbon copy of the Arctic Monkey's version.

They said that their set was about to change as they are incorporating their new material, so hopefully this gives them a slicker, more professional sound. I'm really keen to see how they develop their sound because their stronger songs were absolutely fantastic, and they just need to get the rest of their set to that level.

Finally, American indie group The Head took to the stage. Their brand of upbeat, cheery pop got the whole room bopping along. They were akin to the likes of Fleet Foxes or Foxygen and their front man had a persona that was a mix of Brandon Flowers and Father John Misty.

Their sound was fuelled by steady bass, lilting vocals and ebullient guitar riffs, which created a very pleasant and easy listening experience.

However, their set could do with more gritty rockier tracks or the quirky synth instrumentals that they briefly used at the start of their set. Although all the tracks are good, their set was a little repetitive and it'd be more entertaining if there were less happy-go-lucky pop tracks.

They ended the set very abruptly - so much so that the room chuckled or looked around in confusion. There was a lot of stage presence and energy when they were performing, but a bit more audience interaction wouldn't go a miss.

That being said, they have a lot of catchy, happy pop tracks under their belt and know how to entertain a room and should blossom if they can incorporate more variety in their music.