Live at Pitt Street Church
30 November 2024
Live Music Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
T.G. Shand at The Others Way Music Festival
Having attended more live shows than Gordon Ramsay has recipes, I’ve seen it all—from the painstakingly meticulous to the gloriously chaotic. As a songwriter and musician with an ear for just about every genre under the sun, it was no surprise that tonight’s lineup at The Other Way festival served up something for everyone. In fact, it was nothing short of a sonic smorgasbord, a carefully curated feast of aural sculpting that tantalised every sense.
T.G. Shand
T.G. Shand's performance unfolded like a rehearsal that somehow wandered onto a stage before anyone had time to warm up. The evening began innocuously enough, with the bass player strolling out first, casually tuning up, followed by the guitarist, who seemed more focused on positioning her drink and digging through her pockets for picks than preparing for a show. The whole thing felt eerily laid-back, almost as if the pre-show rituals – the placement of in-ears and casual adjustments – were happening backstage, only to spill into the audience’s view.
Unfortunately, the relaxed vibe extended into the music itself. The bass player, noticeably out of sync in the first two tracks, seemed to be playing lantern notes rather than anything resembling a coherent rhythm. By track three, she found her footing, but the damage had been done, and the momentum had been lost. The band's sound, which can only be described as a poor man's version of the Cocteau Twins, lacked the ethereal charm and polish of their influences. In fact, it was hard to ignore how much the band lacked the pizzazz necessary to bring the music to life.
The lead singer didn’t help matters. Bouncing between two microphones for no discernible reason, it was unclear why she needed two—one of which was dramatically quieter than the other, offering little more than frustration for the audience. Her performance was a mystery; she moved through the set with all the enthusiasm of someone who had just finished a gym session, completely disengaged from the audience. Not a single word was uttered to the crowd, making the entire experience feel more like a practice session than a live show.
The mix, if you could even call it that, was another major issue. The vocals were nearly inaudible, lost in the muddled cacophony of bass and guitar. To make matters worse, the sound desk was positioned off to the side, and the sound engineer never bothered to step into the crowd to hear the mess he was putting out. If the goal was to turn the acoustics of the church into something unrecognisable, mission accomplished.
After finishing their set, the band offered a tepid “Thank you so much for coming so early,” a half-hearted acknowledgment that only added to the sense of detachment. If this was meant to be a live performance, it felt more like a dry run.
T.G. Shand had all the trappings of a promising act, but on this night, they failed to deliver anything more than a muddled, lacklustre showing.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
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