REVIEW: Poster Paints album launch
Poster Paints performing with Lomond Campbell during their album launch show at The Glad Café. Picture Source: Tom Youll
The Glad Café in Glasgow’s southside hosted the album launch show for the self-titled debut release of Poster Paints, the project of Simon Liddell (Olympic Swimmers, Frightened Rabbit) and Carla J Easton (TeenCanteen) on 21st October.
The album sees the duo explore sonically through a kaleidoscope of influences, Liddell’s dreamy guitar work providing the perfect backdrop for Easton’s ethereal vocals. Like an amalgamation of previous projects, Liddell operates in a similar space to his role within Frightened Rabbit, adding beauty and depth to the instrumental with aplomb. Easton’s lyrics and vocals also provide and then some, producing a sound and sentiment that see her akin to a Scottish Sharon Van Etten.
Promising shoegaze and dream pop, the album delivers in spades. Standout tracks include the pre-released single ‘Number 1’ and ‘Ribbons’ which features fellow Glaswegian Lomond Campbell. ‘Number 1’ opens with a reverb-smothered guitar accompanied by the irresistible vocals of Easton. Their influences stem from indie pop and you can hear them bleeding through: My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and The Vaselines to name a few. All these gloriously rich soundscapes give Poster Paints a solid foundation and clear direction to their sound, solidifying them as an exciting prospect in the local music scene.
Flinch at The Glad Café supporting Poster Paints. Picture Source: Tom Youll
Supporting Poster Paints on the night were the Glasgow band, Flinch. Featuring an all-female line-up and thanking Easton for her support, while also proclaiming their motto: “Support your local girl band!” They took to the stage with some nerves which quickly washed away as they played. Starting with songs written by Beth when Flinch was more of a solo project, they transition into more ‘full band’ numbers by the end of the set. With a richer sound and a heavy bite, the new material clearly shows off the new direction Flinch will be taking, from these offerings they will definitely be one to watch.
Poster Paints took to the stage in the now-packed Glad Café room. Traversing their entire catalogue for now means playing the new album, start to finish, with a rearranged order to suit a live setting and the addition of former single 'Blood Orange’. The only collaboration on the album, ‘Ribbons’ was performed with Campbell for the first time at the launch, the whole song was written at a distance, hopefully this won’t be the last time they share the stage as the pairing of voices was nothing short of a delight.
As ethereal and eclectic live as they are on the album, Poster Paints provide a fabulous experience while they light up the southside room. As seasoned musicians they looked comfortable on the small stage, let's hope it won’t be long before much bigger and grander stages are calling them. With a few more live shows under their belts and a further chance to explore their evolving sound, Poster Paints and their support for the evening Flinch certainly epitomise the phrase ‘up and coming’ – don’t flinch at a poster painted with either of their names!
★★★★☆ – Poster Paints debut album is ethereal and eclectic, filling the dream-pop-shaped hole you didn’t realise you had in your life!