WILD NOTHING // STEREO CAFE BAR, GLASGOW
Wild Nothing is a bright colourful explosion from the inner workings of Jack Tatum and their Valentine’s Day performance in Glasgow was a heartening experience for the sold-out night’s attendees.
WILD NOTHING
★★★★☆
Since 2009, Jack Tatum has been recording tracks under the guise of Wild Nothing. When live, he joins with a band of incredibly talented and seemingly very like-minded musicians to recreate his dreamy indie pop. This style is ever growing in popularity, however, Wild Nothing clearly prove their distinction.
Tatum has release three EPs and four albums which he accredits pretty fully to himself but this allows for a wonderful uniqueness to his performances live of his tracks. Wild Nothing is the flourishing of Tatum making the music that he wanted to hear for himself, made by himself. His work, thanks to its high quality, Tatum’s relentless touring and the sound’s perfect alinement with the growing explosion in the popularity of dreamy indie, has resulted in a large committed fan base across the USA and the UK.
Stereo is a trendy venue in the heart of Glasgow. It’s a popular arty, hangout that also plays host to a lot of quirky, under-the-radar acts. On the night of Wild Nothing, the place was packed with a lot of 20-somethings and the room had a youthful, light-hearted energy before the band had even stepped foot on stage. When the member appeared the crowd roared. The airy melodies of their opener ‘Nocturne’ started and, as with the song’s devoted lyrics, Tatum had the crowd.
The most associated style of Wild Nothing is one of a smooth, bright, relaxed indie and when live it is performed brilliantly. The night was full of incredible examples of this. ‘Wheel of Misfortune’ is comforting and uplifting, ‘Golden Haze’ brings the pace up while still gives the listener a soft hug with its delicacies.
Many different elements combine in their music. When style shifts with spacey tracks that contain more synth, like ‘Partners In Motion,’ it melds perfectly with their set. Then the band would play a song with a huge funk influence, like the wonderful ‘Whenever I,’ and follow with something more soft and emotionally moving like ‘Shallow Water’ – a number that elevated the night’s audience and continued to show a different side to Tatum’s expressions. The lads finished in their melodic soft rock style with a clear crowd favourite ‘Shadow.’
Of all the members in the band, keyboardist and saxophonist Matt Kallman has the biggest impact on the crowd other than Tatum. Although the whole band, Nathan Goodman, Jeff Haley, and Elroy Finn, all showed themselves to be incredibly talented musicians. On stage, the whole group is dressed in a very unassuming manor which adds to the charm; they are not looking for attention to be on themselves, like Tatum as he spawned Wild Nothing from what seems like his bedroom, it’s just about the sound. However, Kallman’s performance on the alto sax was breath taking. He played run-packed solos and the fans appreciated it.
Wild Nothing is for Sunday afternoons, nights were you can’t sleep and days of a deep clean. With tracks that make it so effortless easy to get lost in a haze when hearing and numerous styles influencing the work; they are brightly uplifting and engrossing. They are a group to see live as soon as possible as their shows will likely continue to sell out and they will move to less intimate venues.