03 March 2015 (gig)
05 March 2015
Just by reading the name ‘Lipstick Jumpsuit’, I could tell that the sound of this band was going to be totally fun and full of life. I attended one of their gigs at Exeter Cavern where the five local youths expressed their true talent (Taylor Ellard (vocals/guitar), Alfie Funnell (lead guitar), Reuben Davies Lindley (bass), Harry Davenport (drums), and Michael ‘Mikey’ Foulger (keyboard)).
They opened their evening slot with an array of sounds that can only be described as psychedelic, enchanting and mystical—almost transporting me into a 'trippy' parallel universe.
They juxtaposed their magical intro music with the sudden burst of powerful riffs and funky basslines of their first track named ‘TV Dinner’. The song was a completely crazy concoction of funky, fuzzy indie rock. That was when I got the first taste of front man Taylor Ellard’s voice, who had paid tribute to one of the obvious influences of the band—Ty Segall, by wearing make-up very similar to the kind Segall wears himself. His tone was gritty, an awesome combination of lazy cries and grunge-styled shouts, nothing short of brilliant. Funnell filled the underground cove that is Exeter Cavern with some of the most raw, catchy riffs I have heard in a while—they were plentiful and fluent, causing crowd members to really engage with the music and lose their minds.
The band played a variety of original songs, all of which were brilliantly structured and performed. But one thing that did stand out for me was the ability these guys had to engage with the crowd. Ellard took a small interlude from playing and jumped down from the stage, and began to dance with crowd members, whilst the rest of the band played ‘Paloma Smokes Weed’, rapped brilliantly by keyboard player Mikey Foulger. The addition of this was not only hilarious, due to the risky yet funny lyrics, but entertaining to the highest of levels, as the band treated the whole crowd as close and personal friends, something you don’t come across very often at gigs these days.
The funky basslines of Davies Lindley were totally tenacious, persistent and prodigious throughout the set. The band was completely consistent throughout their show, with chords and riffs fully perfected. The addition of keyboard player Foulger, really boosted and intensified the sound of this band—almost like a 'Palma Violets spice' had been added to the entire Lipstick Jumpsuit recipe. They are heavy yet soft, funky yet grunge, dirty yet beautiful. Lipstick Jumpsuit is a band you can totally lose your shit to and still have a fantastic, soul enhancing time. This band truly is wonderful, and there is no other way to say that this is the sound missing from the indie-rock charts.
You can find their work on SoundCloud: Lipstick Jumpsuit.
