It’s been a scorchingly hot year for indie music, with a lot of up-and-coming names seeing their moments to shine. If you’ve been paying attention the last couple of months, then one name you may have seen getting whispered more and more is bar italia. The London-based indie group has been bouncing around for a few years, but after signing to Matador earlier this year, they were poised for a breakout. And on a cold night this past Tuesday, we caught their live set at Brighton Music Hall, only five nights into their first American tour.
The show kicked off with Gobby, an artist I am admittedly not familiar with. Given the general broadness of bar italia’s music, I couldn’t begin to guess what kind of an opener we would get, but yet I was duly surprised. It was less of a set and more of a performance piece, consisting of one prolonged song (the set was about 35 minutes). It fell squarely between ambient and drone, with big winding beats coming and going over occasional flirts of recorded percussion and live trumpet. It was a very calming opener, setting the scene for a relaxed and smooth evening of music. A truly enigmatic set, Gobby was masked in shadow the whole time, and ran off stage as a synth line was winding down, before the audience could even acknowledge the set’s conclusion.
By the time bar italia took the stage, the Hall had an encouraging and healthy amount of fans, which only highlights the first step in what is likely going to be a big rise for the band. After signing for Matador early this year, the band released two albums. Tracey Denim, released in May, is a solid showcase for the band’s indie-flavored rock; but it’s really The Twits, released in November, that serves as the band’s mission statement. The album is a fun and very eclectic collection of alternative tunes that range from patient midtempo romps to quick bursts of energetic joy. The set pulled mostly from their most recent album, wisely putting forth the best of the band’s recent tunes to land a good impression on new American fans.
The opening track was “Polly Armor,” a song that dates back to last year, a relic comparative to the amount the band has pumped out this year. It’s an energetic and jazzy tune that acts as a perfect opener, giving some energy but still holding back for some following songs. Perhaps the two best songs on the night where “my little tony” and “Punkt,” from Twits and Denim, respectively. Those two songs, already two of the band’s best, had the crowd in the hands of the band. bar italia were locked in during those tunes, much as they were for most of the night. Nearly all of Twits was played, highlighting how well the band’s unique blend translates to a live setting. The band came back for a two-song encore, playing a 2022 cut “Miracle Crush” and the brief but exciting 2020 song “skylinny.” Fans were not necessarily expecting an encore, but got two of the best songs of the whole night.
The secret weapon of bar italia is a trifold vocal power. All three official members of bar italia – Nina Cristante, Sam Fenton and Jezmi Fehmi – sing lead, and almost never in harmony (Fenton and Fehmi are also guitarists). Instead, they trade off verses, or even individual lines, often bouncing off each other. It’s a very unique interplay that is done often by other bands, but never to the same extant that bar italia does. It lends to the seemingly innate chemistry between the three members, which was felt by those in attendance. There was still some roughness around the edges – there were a couple false starts, and some off-balance volume levels early on – but they added an endearing quality to the show. Indeed, the band was animated, dancing throughout the show (especially Nina, unburdened by physical instruments). There was little audience interaction, but bar italia had a swift confidence in these tracks, one needed for a daunting first jaunt into a new country. All in all, it was a great and welcoming showcase from a unique band that is sure to be on everyone’s lips soon enough.