6 Music - Music News

The opening night of this year's Little Noise Sessions last night (16 Nov) saw performances from guitar bands Editors, The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club and Everything Everything.

The four unique vocalists managed to fill every corner of the magical venue, making the first night a memorable one .

Carved from a mould not unlike Kendal’s finest Wild Beasts, Everything Everything began proceedings, backed by a string quintet from the Royal Northern College of Music.

So complimentary were the strings to the singer’s high-pitched wailing and the outfit’s choral harmonies, they should consider inviting them to the recording sessions for their imminent debut album.
 
A real highlight was seeing upcoming industry darlings Bombay Bicycle Club - fresh from supporting Pixies - re-interpret some of their tracks in a folk, spaghetti western-style, with the help of guitarist Jamie MacColl’s father, Neil, on banjo and backing vocals.

It was all eyes on the band’s talented ring-leader, singer Jack Steadman, who performed a cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s Motel Blues solo, while other songs were given the feminine touch with the addition of singer Lucy Rose.

Some of the loudest cheers of the evening went to south London quintet The Maccabees, who were introduced as "one of the best bands in the country", by self-professed fan and Gavin And Stacey star Matt Horne.
 
Sticking to a set-list of songs from their acclaimed second album, Wall of Arms, it highlighted the strength of their latest batch, which garnered rave reviews from the press.
 
The songs remain immediate whether played loud and fast with a frenzied mosh pit forming - as with their Brixton Academy headliner last month - or in an intimate environment, like the Union Chapel, with the crowd swaying to Orlando Weeks’ tender vocals.

The Maccabees also took on a cover and played a stunning version of Because by I Am Kloot, the final track from the Manchester trio’s debut album, Natural History.

However, while all of the first three acts gave stand-out performances, it was headliners Editors - the first to sign up to this year’s Little Noise Sessions - that were triumphant despite one or two lost lyrics and restarts.
 
They dipped into their back catalogue performing the likes of Distance from their debut, The Back Room, and An End Has A Start and Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors from their sophomore album.

The show saw Tom Smith play the piano with just guitarist Chris Urbanowicz as accompaniment on No Sound But The Wind, the track which features on The Twilight Saga: New Moon film soundtrack.

As for the songs from their latest number one album, In This Light And On This Evening, in being stripped back to their very core they were reminiscent of some of Editors' earlier classics, since the band's conception in 2002, showcasing their knack for writing well-crafted songs with uplifting melodies. 
 
Minus the industrial synths that have crept defiantly onto their third record, and without the pomp and dramatic ceremony that eats away at the appeal of its first taster Papillion, Tom Smith’s rendition of the aforementioned song and a handful of new album tracks seemed unforced, which led his vocals to be raw and deeply captivating.

Throughout this week, London's Union Chapel will play host to likes of Richard Hawley, Florence and the Machine and Golden Silvers, to Lost Prophets and Mika.

Curated and hosted by Radio One's Jo Whiley, it’s all in aid of Mencap, helping people with disabilities.