You can come across excellent live music in the most unexpected places. Invited to a birthday party, skilfully themed as a festival, with tents and a fire pit, I was lucky enough to see a set by Knaves, one of the emerging talents of the current British Indie scene. This up and coming band, based in Sheffield, have already caught the attention of the folks at BBC Introducing, their fast yet melodic brand of Indie making them ones to watch.
Although their set was interspersed with covers, the band was at their strongest when bringing their own material to the fore. There is a certain buoyancy to the music Knaves produce, a subtle dexterity in the delivery of the songs. We were treated to ‘95’ and ‘Roxy’ from the ‘Suncatcher’ EP, before being introduced to a newer track the band cited as one of their favourites ‘Circuit’, a strong offering and one of the best tracks they played during the set. The band then brought us ‘Breathe’, their latest single. Ending with ‘Tear It Apart’, ‘Stalemate’ (also from the ‘Suncatcher’ EP) and ‘Little Ray’, the quality of the music in such an intimate setting ensured the crowd were shouting for an encore.
Being completely new to Knaves I was struck by how up-beat their sound was, without being either frothy or insubstantial. The songs have an airy feel, but the musical agility and precision the band exhibit keep the music firmly grounded. The ‘Suncatcher’ EP, released around a year ago has provided a firm basis for the band to build on, and ‘Breathe’, which they released on the 14th of May this year, is likely to be the first of many offerings from this distinctive and talented band. If you would like to see them yourself, they play twice at the Tramlines festival in Sheffield on the 25th and 26th of July.
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