Arrows of Love - Islington Academy, London, 28/3/2012

  by Jamie Rowland

published: 13 / 3 / 2012

intro

Jamie Rowland is entranced by former Hush the Many guitarist/vocalist Nima Ternachi's current band Arrows of Love in an energetic and intimidating set at the Islington Academy in London

Having been a fan of Hush the Many (Heed the Few) – guitarist/vocalist Nima Teranchi’s former group – I have to say I was not expecting the burst of violent energy that signalled the start of Arrows of Love’s set at the O2 Academy. This is raw, angry, energetic music in the vein of 'Bleach'-era Nirvana or San Diego rockers Trumans Water. The back-and-forth vocals between Nima and guitarist Lyndsey Critchley work brilliantly; each has the ability to tackle both tuneful, delicate singing and piercing, rawk screams with gusto and skill. Lead-guitarist Ollie is an intimidating presence; he looked massively tall up on the stage and was wielding his guitar like a weapon. All the while drummer Mike and bassist Nuha keep things pushing forward with a powerful, driving rhythm. There are moments where you can just about pick out some part of a song – a riff or a melody – that are the only signs that this is the same Nima who was once in Hush the Many; there are very few other clues that this is the same man, as he throws himself about the stage with furious, frenetic energy. The whole band it seemed were buzzing with energy in fact; Ollie and Nima both invaded the crowd at different points during their set – some of the hardened punks who’d come to see King Mob play a set later in the evening looked a little frightened. Personally I was twitching with excitement at their performance; I couldn’t help but stamp my feet along and let myself be totally immersed in their wall of noise. And grin like an idiot – I was absolutely loving it. If you like a band who give you the aural equivalent of a kick up the arse, then this is the band you have to go and see. Their debut album is due out this summer, and personally I can’t wait.

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