Friday the 15th of November saw This Feeling and their lineup of folk rock and modern indie bands descend upon The Sunny.
The night was opened by Meg Fox and her live band with folk ballad ‘Who You Are’, whose pleading refrain of ‘please don’t say you’re fine’ gave the audience a taste of her haunting sound. ‘Sanctuary’, explained as a ’self discovery and self-love song’ showcased a mellow, rounded bass line, melding with the intricate, reverb-heavy work of the electric guitar to create a trance-like energy, while equally demonstrating the influences of blues music on Fox’s work that established itself as a running theme. The use of a slide later in her set produced, ethereal, almost otherworldly sounds from the guitar. While her recently released debut single ‘Puppet on a String’ proved to translate beautifully to a live environment with her signature vocal slides and powerful belts ever present, I am perhaps most intrigued by her newest, unreleased, untitled song reminiscent of the work of Florence & The Machine. Continuing the heavier, more distorted and riff-centric guitar themes hinted at in her other work, I am excited to see how Meg Fox develops to exploit her powerful vocals, impeccable range, the way she compliments the instruments underlying her performance, and maybe one day soon the release of said song.
The second artist of the night was Twinninety Six, a drummer and guitarist-vocalist two-piece consisting of twin brothers Luke and Jake Wright. A mix of live and playback performance, their live spoken-vocal style akin to The Smiths and Pulp perfects the classic British-indie, even and monotone inflection enjoyed by many. While their studio work draws more parallels with The 1975, their post-modern repetitious lyrics and droning sound, maximised by the use of various pedals, is sure to entertain fans of The Happy Fits and OK Go.
The final performance of the night was from Wooden Dog, a Birmingham based 5-piece, returning to The Sunny for the first time in over a year. From their first song ‘Sun and Moon’, a high-energy folk-rock track, Wooden Dog made it clear that they were not only there to perform, but to entertain, boldly and successfully encouraging an unplanned sing-a-long from the crowd. Evidently, their time spent performing since their last visitation of the Sunny has helped them refine their craft, as their cinematic intros and seamless blends between songs effortlessly held the attention of the audience, immediately taking it upon themselves to clap along and join vocalist Alfie in the bridge. The night also saw the one-month anniversary of their latest release ‘The Wheel’, a stripped back track illustrating a more delicate, intricate angle to their work but still referencing the same country and blues inspired themes and instrumentation. Furthermore, their range when including the likes of ‘Only Sleeping’, a performance characterised by powerful vocals, tension and release, and vintage influences evident in the use of a wah-wah pedal, ensures they cater to the full spectrum of their fans. Wooden Dog pull all the country staples out of the bag, from drumrolls and pushed stops to bluegrass guitar rolls, perhaps with the most of these elements converging in their newest track, ‘Sit Next to Me’. A slower paced track, it sits back on the beat to create the vibe of a lazy Sunday morning, but is still as ‘yeehaw’ as ever.
They intended to close their set with Molten, their debut track, less than two weeks away from its one-year anniversary. After finishing said track with a brief interlude to experiment with the crowd singing the bridge and the band taking their cue from them to come back in, the collection of ‘repeat Wooden Dog offenders’ and newbies alike had already begun a resounding applause, interrupted by the dull thud of a kick drum. The theatre of pretending to be ambushed into playing extra song ‘Black & Grey’ by Ben on drums perfectly summarises the push and pull within the track and the conversational style of Wooden Dog.
Further to the undeniable musicality of their set, their crowd interaction and their genuine connection with their audience transforms their slot into a shared experience satisfying both the musical appetites of the audience and the desire for connection with the people behind it. On the run up to their performance, Wooden Dog promoted a t-shirt giveaway to win merchandise for The (aforementioned) Wheel, and lucky winner Steve received his prize flying, from across the stage, and into the crowd. The production values and quality of their show is a testament to their obvious passion for their music, and likewise, their crowd a testament to their music.
Wooden Dog artist Spotify embed: