The Twilight Sad

The Twilight Sad at The Cluny 20th October
Mark Corcoran-Lettice

It might seem a bit depressing for a young band to be playing exactly the same venues they played two years ago, but their return to the Cluny seems to have brought a (relatively) sunny disposition out of Scotland’s nosiest. Returning to promote their astonishing new record Forget The Night Ahead, they treat a packed-out room to an hour of divine distortion.
First though, local indie heroes Minotaurs made up for cancelling their support slot with The Twilight Sad here two years ago with a fine, anthemic set. While frequent line-up changes may have robbed them of some momentum, their sound is all the better for it, with their swelled ranks capable of giving kindred spirits like My Latest Novel a fight. With more gigs and (with some luck) some new recordings due soon, 2010 may just be very kind to the Minotaurs.
But from the moments the incessant, droning noise that opens ‘Reflections Of The Television’ burst forth from the PA, The Twilight Sad have the venue entirely in thrall to them. Mixing new material with old favourites perfectly, they sound more confident and adventurous than ever before – certainly, it’s hard to imagine the Sad of 2007 ever writing anything as restrained and fragile as set-highlight ‘The Room’ – with frontman James Graham in particular a far more dramatic and engrossing stage presence than before.
As well received as new songs like lead single ‘I Became A Prostitute’ were (and quite deservedly so), it was the one-two punch of ‘And She Would Darken The Memory’ and a re-arranged version of their debut album’s opener ‘Cold Days From The Birdhouse’ that elicited the most cheers, not just due to their familiarity but also thanks to the extraordinarily vivid performances that the band gave of them.
It may have been their third time at The Cluny, but it wouldn’t be foolish to bet against them playing somewhere much more ambitious next time they hit Newcastle.