Live Review: Cloud Nothings

A mild wave of applause greets Cloud Nothings. Frontman Dylan Baldi opens the set with Now Hear In and the chunky punk tone is met with the cheers when punters recognise the tune. Cohesive and loud, the Ohio trio tear through the track, yet the music competes against the resistance of the acoustics.

Stay Useless induces slight rumbling in the front of the crowd, pointing fingers are raised and the chanting begins. “Thanks a lot,” Baldi says, looking a little reminiscent of Rivers Cuomo with his pale complexion and chunky, black-rimmed glasses. As the band splutters through their tune, Baldi seems oblivious to the crowd-surfers in front of him, preferring to commit to the song at hand. Upping the energy into a more frantic, At The Drive-In-style tune, Baldi shakes his head, synching with his strings, strumming harder and harder.

Baldi morphs a solo of incoherent noise into Fall In, with drummer Jayson Gerycz and bassist TJ Duke falling in line. Though passionate with his performance, Baldi stands stationary like a cardboard cut-out, but he breaks the drabness as he rips into a solo. With Duke’s prompt picking bass intro, Pattern Walks shows promise – with the lyrics “There’s something wrong here” – before the track fades to bland, abruptly dissolving into the noise of unrehearsed sounds.

The group again substitute guitar feedback for banter and eventually the bedlam transforms into a song. Baldi continues drearily yelling with his eyes closed, but as another fast-paced song begins it is only the lyrics that truly change. The simple, plucked-out notes of No Future/No Past ring, invoking a sign of approval. Though the slower number is a much-needed break in repetition, it is sluggish.

Continuingly minimalistic in his banter, Baldi says “Thanks”. There is little room to move now, but diehards sing along to ever-so-catchy I’m Not Part Of Me. Passionate devotees seem pleased, but this scribe’s left less than impressed.