Cranes, one of the unsung acts of the late 1980s/early 1990, hit the road for a handful of dates. Geoff Shaw caught them at the Brudenell Social Club for RESOUND.
Music journalists of the 1990s liked nothing more than to build up a scene around a group of loosely similar bands such as Shoegaze, New Wave of New Wave and Britpop, and swallowing them up before spitting them out again. Cranes—hailing from Portsmouth and formed around sister and brother pairing Alison and Jim Shaw—arguably fared better than most by both sidestepping and straddling such pigeonholing. Shoegaze? Dreampop? Industrial? Goth? Those categories all fit but also don’t. It’s the latter tag though that resonates most with the assembled faithful in Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club, with many a faded Sisters, Neph or Cure T-shirt on display amongst a predominantly middle aged crowd.
The scattering of younger fans present are matched in age by support act Deary. Last year saw duo Dottie and Ben emerge with their first small scale gigs. A steady release of tracks followed culminating in a critically acclaimed self titled EP released on Sonic Cathedral, and they ended the year playing to a few thousand in support of Slowdive in London. So what now? Taking to the stage as a now established live four piece, there is a definite growth in both confidence and delivery; the songs that are fragile on record have gained in emphasis and strength. Early on in their set, they sneak in a new track, “The Moth” that indicates there is a rich seam of creativity being mined, guided in the studio by the likes of the Simons Raymonde and Scott (Cocteau Twins and Slowdive respectively). And whilst there is a cautious gap between the front of the stage and the gathered Goths throughout their set, by the time closer “Beauty in all Blue Satin” wraps things up with the soaring guitars beautifully entwined with Dottie’s vocals, it’s a warm and appreciative applause that send them on their way.
The gap at the front of the stage now inhabited, the opening hypnotic refrain of “Cloudless” welcome the headliners to the stage, with singer Alison’s distinctive vocal cadence weaving through the notes flanked by guitarists Mark Francombe and Paul Smith as layers get deftly added. In just a minimal blue light, it is a captivating way to engage and pull in the partisan crowd.
After a beatific beam and greeting from a silver clad Alison (see, not Goths) the set continues, drawing on material from their three pre-1994 albums. In a live setting, there is a distinct additional heaviness and muscularity, layered around Jim’s pounding drums. Projections behind them add another dimension in drawing the senses in. By the time, “Jewel”, a single from second album Forever is unleashed to an eager reception from the crowd, it’s clear that for a band that only intermittently heads out on the road, there is a lot of love from those present.
With such a wide sonic palette to hand, dark intensity skilfully balanced with lighter flourishes throughout, the set ebbs and flows until closers “Sixth of May” – Francombe a man possessed on guitar – and “Starblood” wrap things up with crescendo and aplomb.
As the crowd disperse into the warm Leeds night, it’s clear Cranes don’t need a genre after all. They are just a damn fine band.
Words and pictures: Geoff Shaw
IG: @gsmusicphotos