Live 2021-05-07 -- Such Small Hands Live
The thing about live reviews is who to write about. Should one stick with the optics and the performance or should the music of the band be criticized as well? This is somewhat of importance when it comes to this band. Why? Well, the optics are great and also the live performance was fine. Not much to criticize in this regard. A video was shown in the background, in additional to the "normal" stage lightning light bulbs, modern ones that is, were placed on poles all over the stage. Once a track was over a short video was interlude wet the stage for the things to come. Effort went into making this.
Such small hands is a project of Melanie Howard and she would also be the sole person to be on the stage. Vaguely illuminated, a guitar in hand, singing about this and that. Look up the genre of the band and you get a certain idea. No it is not about the art of hedgehog juggling. If you just take this and if the would be indeed be fine, then this could have been a good concert.
But ...
The thing with this band is the genre they play in. If you have not looked it up, do it now. Carousel, their 2020 full-length release, was play on stage in its entirety with one additional track. The thing is that the music lacks the same beef as does the Endeligt release by Nortt. The tracks are too short, the motives end abruptly and this has an effect on the music and how it is perceived. At times the music ends too soon and the tracks have this bite-size quality. If you are fine with this aspect, then this will not bother you, but other will think different. Accordingly, this live performance had been a bit of a mixed bag. Well intended, but lacking the proper ingredients to get it done. Of those eighty people that have attended it, this might be a minority opinion. Maybe they were also not bothered by the lack of proper balancing of the instruments. Yes, Mr. nit-picky is here again.
The length of the concert had been nearly an hour.