I first stumbled across The Tunics a few months ago and made a mental note to get to their next London show. The three-piece follow in the tradition of recent British rock successes, mixing Fratellis-esque arrangements with an Alex Turner like gift for socially aware lyrics that are symbolic of a generation. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait long to see them live and on the 12th of February I headed down and enlisted my photographer friend Stefan to come along.
I have to admit I was a little surprised by the fact the band was not headlining on the night as I had seen quite a lot of press exposure for them. Even more annoying was the constant muddled conversation that droned across the small venue. Clearly this audience had no appreciation for live music and the musicians delivering it even going as far as forgetting to clap (even politely) when presented with the frightened faces of the next band.
Under similar circumstances many other bands may have acted petulantly but The Tunics managed to use this to their advantage blasting through their set, barely acknowledging the audience’s indifference. It may come across as shallow but one slight concern I had was that, in contrast to their promo shots/videos, they failed to present the unified band image which in this day and age can separate the contenders from the also-rans. This mattered little because in frontman Joe Costello, they may have found their ace in the pack. His clever lyrics and Gallaghers-meets-Arctic Monkeys delivery raised The Tunics above many other bands doing the rounds.
Is must be said that if the 3-piece are to fulfil their potential they should not get complacent with their brand of straight up indie and attempt to push more boundaries. However, with tracks like the brilliant ‘Cost Of Living‘ they have shown enough of a work ethic to warrant my belief that the next time I will see them they will be looking sharper, performing in bigger venues to more attentive audiences. It’s the least they deserve.
The Tunics release new single ‘Shine On’ on 2nd of March through Manta Ray Music.
