Tonight South Carolina musician Chaz Bundick made his debut appearance in Manchester, on just about the rainiest day we've had all summer. He records under the name Toro y Moi, which means something like 'Bull and Me' in Spanish and French, and released album Causers of This earlier this year. Unlike his wilfully obscure moniker, however, the album is a collection of soulful pop songs with a funky edge, albeit soaked in dreamy reverb and recorded under the most stringent of lo-fi instructions. New single 'Leave Everywhere' ditches the synths for jagged guitar hooks, reminding us of his punkier musical past and suggesting a possible direction for the second of his albums allegedly set for release this year.
First act on stage is worriedaboutsatan, who play moody electronica that builds up a dark, hypnotic intensity with layer after layer of drum beats, spoken word samples, and bowed guitars. Joint members Gavin Miller and
Tom Ragsdale prefer not to face the crowd but rather each other, directing the music with a chemistry that recalls Fuck Buttons but without an enormous table to separate them they manage to convey a real intimacy. There are no real pauses between songs (but people applaud in the quiet sections anyway), so the final minutes of their time on stage have a climactic feel that makes you think they could do great things with a bit longer than half an hour.
Next up are Manchester/London act D/R/U/G/S, another duo with a similar but guitarless setup. They face the audience, casually inviting them to prepare for the headline act with a much dancier electronica than worriedaboutsatan, even bringing in house elements. Sometimes the samples and beats work together perfectly and the end result is enlightened euphoria, but at times it sounds like disaffected disco, which is a shame because they do look like they're having a lot of fun. Expect bigger things.
Chaz walks on stage to cheers at about 10pm and greets the crowd, which has doubled in numbers over the past ten minutes. There is no messing about and, complete with bassist and drummer, he launches into the first two (and two of the best) songs from the album, Blessa and
Minors. Already two of the most production-heavy in his catalogue, he seems to overdo it with the volume levels apparently turned up to full, sadly forgetting the distinctive vocal melodies. Perhaps this is to do with the fact that he's only been with the band for a few months - and the other members do seem slightly nervous -, but it's no great shame as things move swiftly on to some of the funkier album tracks, which work really well live and get the crowd moving. There is never a total feeling of excitement or engagement, but that's not what this music is about. Instead we are taken by Chaz, in his own laid back and smiling way, on a journey into his world of dreams and vagueness. There is no focus because this is a performance out of focus, except perhaps for closer 'Low Shoulder', with its clear vocals over a funky but not overwhelming backdrop giving us a moment of real beauty. Rising to fame with an arguably gimmicky name and friends in high places, this is a man who nevertheless promises to outlast his contemporaries.
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