Tallies brought their recently-released second album Patina all the way from Toronto in Canada to the ballroom above Gullivers in Manchester on Thursday night for an intimate show supported by the unpredictable and litigious Hup.
We're not sure what we made of Hup. Two guys with synths, one that keeps failing leading to threats of legal action against its manufacturer, one singer who moves from screaming to gentle without batting an eyelid when he's not down in the space at the front of the crowd that are keeping their distance, a cover of Van Halen's Running With The Devil and a song about his landlord who the singer is in a court battle with that leads to him calling us Tories for not shouting Fuck You in the middle of the final song. It's both awful in some respects yet absolutely compelling in more than equal measure, which is a good thing on balance.
Tallies' dream pop has a slightly harder edge live but it doesn't detract at all from the overwhelming warm feeling that they give the listener. There's no big grandiose show here, no big statements between songs other than polite thank yous, just five folk playing great songs very very well indeed. Sarah stands dead centre, lost in the music, a beaming smile never leaving her face, even when they have to pause for five minutes and jam as guitarist Dylan breaks a string. Her voice sits beautifully atop eleven songs, seven of Patina's nine plus four from its predecessor, their self-titled debut.
They start with two of Patina's singles - and the album's first two tracks - Hearts Underground and No Dreams Of Fayres and they set the bar high. The latter has a real nostalgic feel to it, the uplifting chorus drawing you in like a whirlpool, a song that you feel you've heard before, but in reality it's simply them channeling their influences into their own music and it's utterly gorgeous. The standard never drops throughout the remaining nine songs.
The audience are silent through the songs but very much show their love between them. The twin guitars lift the songs but don't overpower them, allowing their intrinisic beauty to shine through while the rhythm section is tight and bonds them together. The songs flow together wonderfully, even when they switch between albums through the set - and even the broken string can't derail their momentum after their recent single Special. They finish with their debut's final track Easy Enough and one of Patina's standout tracks Wound Up Tight and leave to unrequited calls for an encore.
Having recently signed to Bella Union, almost a guarantee of good taste, hopefully we'll see a lot more of Talles this side of the Atlantic. They demonstrate you don't have to be loud, brash or boastful to make an impact, their warm soothing and unassuming approach to their art makes them a real treasure.
Their tour continues at Nottingham Rough Trade (October 28), Liverpool Kazimier Stockroom (29), Leeds Headrow House (30), Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms (31), Brighton Mutations Festival (November 3), London Sebright Arms (4), Bristol Louisiana (6), Berlin Monarch (9), Prague Chapeau Rouge (10), Lubeck Rolling Stone Beach (11), Cologne Hanging Gardens Of Ehrenfeld (14) and Dusseldorf Zakk (15).
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