EASY LIFE // SAINT LUKE'S, GLASGOW
Easy Life transported their fans with a vibrant performance of their unique, dreamy hip-hop and, as their success continues to grow, they are showing no signs of slipping up.
★★★★★ (5/5)
To find a band that brings as much joy to their music as Easy Life do is a rare feat. They push the boundaries of their sound with a fusion of hip-hop, soul and indie. Their tracks are layered with comments on modern life but a tender, comforting optimism is always present. Since forming in late 2017, the band have are already established themselves as a trendy, cutting-edge group that will deliver a smile to the face of their listener.
The sell-out show in the converted church venue in the east end of Glasgow, St Luke’s & the Winged Ox, was packed with bug-eyed, block colour wearing, preppy fans and cheer fill the air like vapour. A roar was let out as the lads bounded across the stage and launched into their kick-back single ‘Earth’ which followed by the smooth ‘Sunday.’
Easy Life clearly know how to mix theirs track and they’re one of the few bands who’s sound is even better live. Their trippy rhythms engulf the listener and make for an atmosphere of free-expression and enjoyment.
A key element to the music is their use of horns. Low-key party beat ‘Afters’ began and Easy Life really began to show the crowd what they are made of. Front-man Murray Matravers, who always plays an exquisite trumpet, and percussionist Jordan Birtles grabbed saxophones and joined bassist and usual sax player Sam Hewitt to throw up an explosion of sound.
The group had so much fun with the performance; although it’s no surprise considering the amount of Buckfast that they looked to be consuming. They played wonderful tracks ‘Temporary Love Part 1 & 2’ and even slightly softer melodies continued to build the hype. Drummer Oliver Cassidy was not content to remain towards the back of the group and jumped into the crowd to mosh with his Scottish audience. Midway through the night, they invited a young fan on the stage and the lucky, star-struck lass had the venue singing happy birthday to her.
When the band played ‘Pockets,’ the fans went wild. This track is a celebration of the lost and the nomadic; what could be more for the youth. Matravers launched himself into the crowd and surfed across the room as sung out the forlorn but embracing chorus.
They played new track ‘Nice Guys,’ a song that has yet to be released to the public. This number is a colourful, tropical sounding celebration and it is quietly likely to be one of the best by the group. They closed their main set with ‘Nightmares’ and room was flurry of celebration and delight.
Easy Life project the voice of a generation. It has been remarked that they have a ‘slacker’ style but this is quite frankly a false critic as well as one that often gets label on to the demographic that Easy Life empower. They are a talented group, who put the work in to their music for the joy of doing it; nothing is half-assed and nothing is done to give them something to brag about. If you should be so lucky to attend an Easy Life gig, and I would highly recommend that you do, you will feel like you have stepped into a space of comfort and freedom where you find yourself blissfully lost in dream.