Best Coast – The Queens Social Club Sheffield

Will

14 years ago

I began a weekend of intense gigging with a trip to Sheffield to see west coast lo-fi champions Best Coast at the Queens Social Club.
My first shock of the night came as soon as I saw the venue. The Queens Social Club’s exterior was not what I had expected; an old grey ex-pub looking building, with the entrance to the actual venue being up a few steps in a woeful looking wooden addition to the side.
The actual interior of the venue seemed a mix between a 1980s trade union meeting room and a old village hall. The stage was raised and set back from the main floor; I felt I was about the watch a naff local talent show. A gazebo had been erected towards the back of the large gloomy room from which a team of manic staff served bottled beer and cider poured from boxes. Yet despite my complaints, the venue had certainly made an impression.
By the time the first band came on, the venue was heaving, with the capacity packed out for the supports. I felt a little under dressed with many of the incredibly youthful audience dressed in their scenester’s best, all seemingly carrying a can of red stripe. I instantly felt Best Coast were certainly regarded as ‘super cool’.

The first band on were London based Mazes, a predictably indie sounding threesome playing a definitive mix of grungy Brit Pop and American prog-rock. Filled with angst (but not too much) they seemed an appropriate support for Best Coast with their forthright lyrics, interesting vocals and simple yet clear guitar riffs.
The second support slot was filled by the irritatingly ‘scene’ Spectrals. With the vocals at first sounding like a confusing mix between a 1950s comedian and an over excited Miles Kane, I eventually found myself enjoying the set and the band seemed to keep the crowd engaged and some began to move a little to some of their more dancey lo-fi pop songs. Yet feeling like I had heard absolutely nothing new, I waited in earnest for the stage appearance of Bethany Cosentino, who had been milling around the crowd during the supports.

I had heard mixed reviews of Best Coast’s live shows, but I was pleasantly surprised. They came on stage to a roar of support from the eager audience who by now had crushed forward in force to the front of the stage. Their style of music is simple, lo-fi garage rock oozing with attitude and in a live environment it came off particularly well. With no bassist the band’s sound rattles, with scratchy guitars and plenty of treble.
Cosentino certainly has attitude, swearing and shouting to the crowd’s delight, at one point asking them why they should care about the Royal Wedding. The hormonal crowd made the most of the band’s trademark simplicty, yet many of the tracks boasted a heavier, punkier edge, losing some of the shoegaze aspects of the recorded tracks.
The tracklist drew heavily from the debut album and it was clear they center around a single concept, unrequited love and falling for a friend and the angsty roller-coaster of emotions that this creates. The tracks ‘Boyfriend’, ‘Crazy For You’ and ‘When I’m With You’ clearly demonstrate this, and were particular highlights of the evening.