[Review + Photos] Glass Animals w/ *repeat repeat | 12.3.14 @ Exit/In

Glass Animals. Photo by Matt Cairns.

Glass Animals
w/ *repeat repeat
Exit/In; Nashville, TN
December 3, 2014

Review by Jake Wyatt. Photos by Matt Cairns.

Wednesday night was a night of exceeded expectations, from not just one, but both of the bands who performed at Exit/In. With No Country favorite *repeat repeat opening up the night with glowing guitar licks and chemical vocal duo of Jared and Kristyn Corder, they left us wanting more just as Glass Animals took the stage in front of their first ever Nashville crowd. We were proud of how many Nashvillians came out to support the lads of Glass Animals, as fans piled in continuously over the span of the two powerhouse bands. Shoulder to shoulder we stood, jumped, and danced to the local heros of sunny surf rock *repeat repeat and to the trippy and polished-smooth synth beats of Glass Animals. Scroll down, click the link below, call a friend who has a computer, or do what you must to find out what you missed Wednesday at Exit/In.

*repeat repeat. Photo by Matt Cairns.

Taking after their name, *repeat repeat displayed a showcase of groovy guitar and powerful drums that got the entire crowd moving back and forth from the first beat to the last. Jared Corder is the lone guitarist in the band, but, nevertheless, creates a wall of distortion and loops of guitar grooves that keep the punk rock train of *repeat repeat traveling forward full steam. The coal of this freight train of happy California rock and roll is Andy Herrin, who sits behind his drum set spinning and whipping around like a whirling dervish with practiced efficiency and accuracy. The true cherry on top of *repeat repeat’s sound is the dreamy and powerful voice of Kristyn Corder. Her additions of vocals and keys round out the surf punk sound, giving *repeat repeat the true sun-streaked blonde SoCal vibe.

The trio performed a plethora of songs from their full album, Bad Latitude, including their opening number “History,” where Kristyn played the smallest piano known to man. With the inclusion of powerful tracks like “Not the One,” “Chemical Reaction,” and “12345678,” Bad Latitude will be on our playlists, CD players, turntables, and any other form we can get our hands on for many seasons to come. We wish *repeat repeat great success, and with their timeless and sunny sound, this local Nashville band’s future looks bright.

Glass Animals. Photo by Matt Cairns.

Glass Animals have been playing over and again, ever since we saw their name on the list for the show at Exit/In on Wednesday night. Much to our liking, these four twenty-something scholars from Oxford, UK have put together an earthy and sensual electronic dance sound that is paired with dreamy vocals and imaginative lyrics. The foursome performed intricate tracks like “Gooey” without fault, and with precision and tightness that only comes from being mates since childhood.

Led by frontman Dave Bayley, Glass Animals showed the depth of their talents throughout their set. Bayley was the spectacle of the show, dancing and gyrating around the stage, stopping to play a riff or two on the guitar, then continuing to rotate his shoulders as his head remained stationary at the mic. Drifting in and out of the smoke, Bayley interacted with the multi-instrumentalists Drew Macfarlane and Edmund Irwin-Singer, who held down the majority of Glass Animals’ sound, taking care of two synthesizers, a guitar, and bass between the pair. The three joined in harmonies for tracks like “JDNT” and “Hazey,” as the latter was called out from the crowd and played as a request by the Nashville first-timers.

Glass Animals. Photo by Matt Cairns.

Not to be left out is Joe Seaward, who had his attention divided between drum triggers, shakers, and his set. Seaward was a blast to watch switch between his deeply tuned tom-toms to his electronic triggers, and left us trying to decipher which sounds were the bass drum or the bass trigger. Seaward had hands that seemed to rival The Flash, as his quick rolls and creative timing called for a double-take and a pause to tell the person next to you to “watch how fast his hands are!” It was Seaward’s beats that drove the Glass Animals’ encore performance of Kayne West’s “Love Lockdown,” to an energetic and powerful level that caused Bayley to shadow box between lines in the microphone.

The British group finished the night out with the dreamy, trancey, and fun-filled track “Pools.” Leaving everyone up on their feet jumping up and down for the Glass Animals, these young and talented lads from Oxford got a great taste of Nashville, and are sure to come back again. In the meantime, look for their debut album Zaba which was released this year, and, when they do return, make sure to clear your calendars or leave work early to catch Glass Animals any chance you get. It is well worth your time.