Gig Review: Eva Plays Dead / Frown Upon – Bannermans, Edinburgh (18th November 2018)

It’s been a while since Tiggy and the gang have been back in Edinburgh but here we are to catch Eva Plays Dead on the road again, this time promoting their new stunning 5 track EP The Fixreleased back in April this year.

Frown Upon (c) Gary Cooper

First up tonight though are Welsh boys Frown Upon who start off with “From The Ground” from their self-titled 2017 EP. They have a sound with hints of The Mars Volta meets At The Drive In with odd timings and rhythms. We get “Enough”, followed by “Pieces”, before “Whisper” takes us into “Impolitic” from their 2017 EP with its full on drive and crunching guitars, hard vocals and drums beats. The band end a short but energetic set with their recent single “Float” – slightly more accessible sounds but that offbeat sound is still there.

This was an interesting opening band with a sound that will appeal to a broad spectrum of people. Zac has a voice that can be soft, smooth and quiet one minute then raw and loud the next, with the band coming along at similar tempos. This is certainly an act to watch out for if you like your rock music a bit off the wall.

Eva Plays Dead (c) Gary Cooper

Now the main event with Eva Plays Dead who waste no time in unleashing their own brand of hell. They get into “Knots”, the first of two new unreleased tracks tonight, and they really mean business as they tear up Bannermans from the word go. They get into a “Spin” (the first track tonight from new EP The Fix), Seb on the drums smashes in before Matt starts flying about and Tiggy unleashes those powerhouse vocals with Zach prowling about on bass.

This was quickly followed by two more from the same EP: “Colours”, which really shows off Tiggy’s voice, followed by “Get Back” with its powerhouse drumming and crunching guitars, once of my favourites tonight. We get all “Twisted” next with another new unreleased track, which really bodes well for the future.

We approach the end of a very short set, with two more from the new EP. “Bones” is a real cruncher of a track, and it’s followed by “Monogamy” with its guitar and drum driven salvo. Zach’s bass lines are thrown into the mix, a stunning end to a far too short a set. To add to the fun the band dismantle half the stage set and bring the drum kit out to play, along with Matt standing on a speaker stack as Seb pounds away. A great, fun way to end the set.

This was the best I have seen Eva Plays Dead live. This is a powerhouse of a band who were on fire tonight, the energy put into the show was simply stunning. Tiggy’s outpouring during the set to highlight to us all about mental health issues that affect so many people today was heartfelt and welcome. The band, and particularly Tiggy, are always talking about this serious issue and all credit to them for it.

Eva Plays Dead have grown so much since I last saw them. Get out there and support this band: get the EP, buy the merch and go see them live!

Photos by Gary Cooper Photography

Eva Plays Dead: official | facebook | twitter | instagram

Frown Upon: facebook | twitter | instagram

Setlist:

  • Knots
  • Spin
  • Colours
  • Get Back
  • Twisted
  • Bones
  • Monogamy
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