Totnes indie-folk band Matthew and Me took the stage at Notting Hill Arts Club fresh from a stint at the legendary Rockfield. Like many other bands to have recorded at the Welsh studio (which has hosted everyone from Black Sabbath to Coldplay), they seemed energised by the experience, their melodies injected with a passion and confidence, and an overall sound that carries a hint of Sigur Ros with its swirling keyboards, guitars and vocal harmonies.
They are a confident, highly musicianly bunch: two women (keyboards and drums) and three guys (guitars and bass), with a couple of friends enhancing the more epic numbers on violins. The small venue was nicely packed: enough people in the room to instill the set with a collective enthusiasm, and with the band setting out on their first mini-headline tour and clearly enjoying themselves, there was a celebratory, relaxed feel.
There’s a gentle, wistful aspect to their songwriting and delivery, as well as a genuine pop sensibility
They started with the song “Modern Life”, a standout on their new EP with the momentous, pitched drive of the guitarist, Andy, and the falsetto vocal harmonies of the singer, Matt, working brilliantly together to instil a melancholy yet vibrant tone. You could see why comparisons have been made with Prefab Sprout, Belle & Sebastian and Bombay Bicycle Club. There’s a gentle, wistful aspect to their songwriting and delivery, as well as a genuine pop sensibility.
Matt is a friendly, easygoing frontman, chatting about the security looking through his bag of dirty underwear, and beaming with pleasure as he dedicates one of the best new songs, “Alright”, to "Bruno", the band’s producer at Rockfield, who had recorded the Maccabee's award-winning album, Given to the Wild. As Matthew and Me moved into a finale with their anthemic new song, “Hide and Seek“, it didn’t seem impossible that they might match that success.
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