These New Puritans, Bush Hall, Jan 25th.

These New Puritans are different. The stage is set with a looming kodo drum on the right of the stage and a wind quintet on the left. Laptops are scattered, as well as all manner of percussion instruments. Silence falls over Bush Hall as two minutes of low wind instrumental grows, as does the anticipation. The introduction builds until the band burst into an assault of sound in the figure of new single ‘We Want War’. Driven by wide sounding drums, beating away an African war-like rhythm, accompanied by discords from the wind section, the track leaves an intensity in the hall, and the performance is certainly intriguing, the raw intensity only lasts so long, and as one number follows another in similar vein, the once fresh intriguing sound, quickly becomes dull.

Each song starts to rely more and more on child-like rhythms, and the lack of apparent melody and structure is frustrating. The vocal is low in the mix, and for a majority of the time it takes a strain to catch the vocal under the percussion.

TNP are very obviously unique, and are certainly ambitious, and should certainly be congratulated for that. However, their reluctance to resort to structure-crafted songs, over mere passages of rhythmic sound makes it unlikely that they will win over anything but a cult following. Their fans in the faded velvet grandeur of Bush Hall did their best, but the cheers at the end of each abruptly concluded piece feel more like gestures of support at the heroic failure of TNP, rather than the joyous yelps of the genuinely moved.

Puritans, well, yes. Though the music is stripped of frivolous melody of any kind, and a majority of the songs appear structurally incoherent; the thumping rhythmic patterns are intriguing, and it’s clear that TNP have a fanbase for it, but as interesting and unique as their sound is, it seems they are a one trick pony, and as a result, their performance tonight was ultimately fairly dull.

Words: Jacob Wheldon