Review: Outfit – The Bodega – 26 January 2014

After a year which involved touring with the likes of Everything Everything and releasing their debut album (Performance, Double Denim Records) Liverpool’s Outfit brought their first headline tour to Nottingham.

The Bodega wasn’t at capacity but an enthusiastic crowd eagerly awaited the band’s dark and dreamy psychedelic pop sound.

Their set was short but sweet with good variation, ranging from intense crowd pleasers such as Two Islands, to the sparser songs such as Performance. The groove driven Two Islands was definitely a crowd favourite, leading to a room full of dancing followed by rapturous applause. My personal favourite was Elephant Days, bass driven with psychedelic guitar making for a wonderful swelling pop song.
Aside from technical problems with a synth (which is perhaps the reason for them not doing an encore), and some noisy hecklers, the night ran smoothly. The band had a definite presence on stage, commandeering the audience’s full attention. The gradual build in some of the songs allowed the audience to be totally sucked in, awaiting the next addition of guitar or synth.

Outfit have been referred to as ‘downbeat electronica’, but their set was far from it. They put on a strong, energetic, upbeat performance and as I had high expectations, I was not disappointed. If ‘downbeat’ were to be mentioned in this review, it would be in reference to the lyrics. Lyrically, they are dark, mysterious and rather existentialist in places. House On Fire, sounds more like an attempt to convince themselves, with a repetitive chorus of ‘We get on like a house on fire’, rather than a statement.

Having sparked up a lot of interest from radio djs and music publications and even being booked for the first BBC 6 Music festival, it’s set to be a big year for Outfit. After such a performance, it’s not hard to see why this young band have been making waves in the industry.

Review by Whitney Knowles