Green Gardens – Hyde Park Book Club – 16th November 2018

Local art-pop fourpiece Green Gardens celebrated the release of their new double Aside Change The Lights/Deadlight at Hyde Park Book Club this week. The evening was billed as a sonic and visual feast, with the band enjoying a little help from their friends.

I too had a little help from my friends: a PhD-toting physicist and another friend.  We’ll call him the Other Guy.

“Here, drink this” said the Physicist, thrusting another beer into my hand.

“Now now” I replied “Do you take me for a souse? I’m here in a journalistic capacity, man! I have responsibilities. There are ways of doing things.

“Quantum mechanics precludes the notion of responsibility” he snorted.

We were perched upstairs in Hyde Park Book Club, unsure if the music had started or not. The Physicist was demanding we remained there, asserting that heading down to the stage would force the wave function to collapse from its superposition. We are not here to write a thesis!exclaimed the Other Guy as we stooged our way downstairs.

All photographs by Jazz Jennings.

We found Hyde Park’s basement decked out in some leafy flowery decorations. A video projection whirred into life as the band emerged from the murky depths backstage. “We came here to play a few songs” says singer and bassist Jacob Cracknell. The audience laugh. They understand tautology. “Here, drink this” says the Physicist.

Green Gardens start up with some pleasant pop. Guitarist Chris Aitchison begins the night behind the piano before picking up his shimmering green axe for pretty much the remainder of the set. From the off it is clear that melody and harmony are the band’s strong suit. Every song (and perhaps every line sung) is full of harmony and the band’s two singers move away from your standard 3rds and 5ths and dip into more interesting notes on occasion. It certainly adds an extra dimension to the material.

 

Although starting a little timidly, the band grow more confident on stage after a few songs and it feels like the room loosens up a little. Two friends are drafted in to provide backing vocals for new single Deadlight. Its foreboding opening line “Everyone I know is falling apart, the only place I can go is back to the start” counterbalanced by a lilting and wistful melody set over a summery set of guitar chords. There is an immediate sense of superior quality to the song, perhaps written on a night where the stars were aligned. More songs like this please, Green Gardens.

“Here, drink this” says the Physicist. Never go drinking with physicists. They are fiends, they are degenerates. Worst of all, they are usually right. Men of Science indeed!

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