Live Review: English Teacher - Clwb Ifor Bach

ENGLISH TEACHER

CLWB IFOR BACH

CARDIFF
31/01/2023

English Teacher are a breath of fresh air and the perfect group to showcase the sheer delight of independent venues. They command the stage and more than live up to the rampant hype

Words and Photography by Philip Giouras

★★★★★

Independent Venue Week celebrates the grassroots of the music industry. Countless bands have graced their halls and earned their stripes playing across the UK. The passion, dedication and hard work it takes to run them can be felt in the very walls. In support of the initiative, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, Rising Leeds indie sensations English Teacher are touring independent venues across the UK.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a venue that surmises the spirit of independent venue week better than their first stop, Clwb Ifor Bach. It’s a Welsh institution that painstakingly supports its local talent and provides a pathway for artists in all stages of their careers to move through their rooms and fellow venues.

Clwb’s ground floor room was meant for nights like these; it’s swelteringly hot and full to the brim for both supports, the raw bubbling Punk of Papa Jupe’s T.C. and the borderline instrumental post-rock of Splint. It’s those same supports who pitch in to help set up for tonight's headliner, English Teacher when an unfortunate blockage on the M1 has their set time unbeknownst to the audience going down to the wire.

The frenzied ‘will they make it or not’ tension within the group is released triumphantly with opening number ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’. The much-buzzed band have brought along the hype going by how tightly packed the club is, full of fans eager to catch a glimpse of the band's debut Cardiff performance. The group’s latest single ‘Song About Love’ swiftly follows. It’s a track we raved about upon its release the other week, describing it as ‘outstanding’ and ‘brimming with charm’. Somehow when performed live that joy is only amplified, by both the group and the transfixed audience. It’s buoyant, vibrant and an early highlight of the evening.

The energy that courses through their studio recordings is only amplified life, they’re a powerhouse. Having only formed during the pandemic, the group have certainly made up for lost time with a plethora of gigs since the return of live music. That live expertise can be felt in how highly tuned they are to one another's presence. Each member is given the room to breathe and have their moment in the spotlight. Whether that is the captivating stage presence of lead singer Lily Fontaine, the brilliance of bassist Nicholas Eden, or the unspoken synergy between guitarist Lewis Whiting and drummer Douglas Frost. The pair regularly passing a knowing joyful smile to each other as if to say “we’re killing this”.

The recently released EP ‘Polyawkward’ is a behemoth live. It’s a thrilling mix of spoken word slam poetry and snarling punk. ‘Mental Maths’ and the title track ‘Polyawkward’ are fiery from the off, but love to take unconventional and unexpected instrumental twists as they flow between math rock and post-punk tendencies. Meanwhile, the more surprising ‘Yorkshire Tapas’ is enchanting as Fontaine’s poetry slowly simmers, bubbling into an enrapturing instrumental breakdown. Evening standouts, ‘R&B’ and ‘Good Grief’ already feel like greatest hits; both live staples and fan favourites they’re delivered like a fist. Their quality knocks you off your feet.

English Teacher are a breath of fresh air and the perfect group to showcase the sheer delight of independent venues. They command the stage and more than live up to the rampant hype. Whilst massive arenas may seem intimidating, it’s the rooms where you can look into the eyes of the fans, and feel their excitement in the air and the sweat dripping off the ceilings that eat you alive. Their live prowess and smoothness feel like they’ve been practising and playing for decades, miss them on this tour at your peril because they’re destined for greatness.

Setlist:

The World’s Biggest Paving Slab

Song About Love

Space

Polyawkward

Mental Maths

Broken Biscuits

Mastermind

Albatross

A55

Yorkshire Tapas

R&B

Crying

Good Grief