The Wave Pictures @ Sneaky Pete’s Sun 6th June
Before a chord has been struck, frontman David Tattersall beckons the denizens of Sneaky Pete’s out from behind the pillars and into ‘the semi-circle of shame’, that no man’s land that forms immediately in front of the stage as the cool kids try to get close, but not too close. ‘You wouldn’t get this at a Muse gig’ observes David as we dutifully shuffle forward. The ice is well and truly broken. Next, The Wave Pictures set to work on our hearts.
Their sound is not unfamiliar – a nod to late-period Velvets, a wink in the direction of The Modern Lovers, a doffing of the cap to Postcard Records, a cheery wave to Hefner – but, perhaps because of the quintessentially English musings on small town life, love and heartbreak, remains wholly their own. This is no simple three-chord jangle though; this trio know their plectrums from their capos. David’s guitar chimes and strums, the solos understated and ever so cool, Franic Rozycki meanders up and down the frets of his bass guitar with the nonchalance of a virtuoso, while Jonny Helm grins away without missing a beat.
This dynamic is only broken when Jonny steps out from behind his kit to deliver Lazy Eye, a heartbreakingly beautiful paean to those charming imperfections that make someone special. We are treated to early Moshi Moshi b-side Now You Are Pregnant, a lament written on the day of Johnny Cash’s death – ‘It’s not like Elvis’ observes the titular mother-to-be. The band close with live favourite Friday Night in Loughborough, documenting a less than glamorous night out (‘the girl from Baker’s Oven holding back your hair’) in a less than glamorous town (‘I wish I didn’t have to hang out here anymore’). No such sentiment is felt by the crowd; our hearts are well and truly broken when the lights go up.