Parting Gift and Superlove
The Black Heart // London, England // January 22nd, 2019
Words by Rachael Dowd
Bristol’s Superlove may have formed only this past year, but they are already making noise in the UK music scene for their uniquely infectious indie-pop sound. Opening up Camden’s The Black Heart with their latest track “Book A Holiday,” the song’s meaning about going on a nice sunny holiday allowed for a certain amount of irony as snow fell from the London sky most of that night. Nevertheless, the Bristol trio introduced new listeners inside The Black Heart to what they can expect to see from Superlove in the future. With only a handful of gigs under their belt in comparison to others on the lineup that night, Superlove brought their A-game, allowing for a captivating performance that caught the attention of many.
Playing a six-song set list of mainly unreleased material, Superlove’s take on the indie-pop genre is fresh, new and it was inevitably clear during their performance as to why they are already receiving so much attention. Playing “Big Lies, Boy,” a track that was released a few months ago, Superlove demonstrated not only incredibly strong vocals, but overall good musicianship that elevated each of their songs throughout the night. “Big Lies, Boy” was a standout moment in their set, not only allowing for each of the Superlove’s member’s personalities to shine through but also their ability to put together a well written and composed indie pop song.
While the UK music scene is oversaturated with budding new talent, Superlove is definitely a band to pay close attention to. As a band that was only launched this past fall, the trio is already showing a whole lot of promise in the indie pop scene. If their set at The Black Heart is any indication on what is to come for Superlove, 2019 is going to be a game changer of a year for the band from Bristol.
For the headlining band from Manchester, 2019 will be a big year for Parting Gift. Before jetting off to open up for Neck Deep in Europe, the alt-rock band presented The Black Heart audience with a captivating performance that greatly supported as to why they are one of the most buzzed-about bands in the alt-rock scene today. Though brief, as the band only has a handful of songs released right now, Parting Gift’s well-rehearsed and well-crafted performance made it seem like the band has been around for decades, sounding and performing better than some bands that have been around for five times as long as them.
Their performance of 2018’s “Vein” was particularly captivating especially when it came to the vocals. With there being so many alt-rock bands out there right now, Parting Gift is strong instrumentally, showing incredible musicianship throughout, but the unique and different qualities the vocals present on each of their song are what truly separates them from other bands in the genre.
“Asleep” was a moment in the set that greatly allowed the band’s overall sound and musicianship to really shine through. Sounding as good live as they did on the recorded track, “Asleep” is the Parting Gift performance all newcomers should watch to understand the band’s image and sound. With incredibly strong vocals that showed both range and control, both the percussions and guitars were spot on, blending together and creating a strong alt-rock song that is far superior to what other new bands are putting out in alt-rock right now.
Having only been together for less than two years, the path that Parting Gift’s on right now and the buzz surrounding them are all well deserved. With spots opening up for Neck Deep and Dream State on tour this year and potential to release new music, Parting Gift is a band to get familiar with now because it won’t be long until they are all the scene is talking about.
