Last Wednesday, New Music Monday alumni wing! released their debut EP ‘MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE’, and to mark this important step for the trio they returned to the Windmill on Friday for a release show. The four-band bill was carefully put together, with an enticing variation of sounds and approaches that worked to draw the crowd in before the headliners took their place.
The night began with Kitty, who set the tone with an intimate performance that drew heavily on indie traditions. Their set was expressive and full of contrasts, moving between large explosions of sound and much softer passages, every intricacy carefully shaped to contribute to the overall texture. The band’s playing gave Kitty’s vocals and lyricism the perfect frame, and the way the songs opened out through that dynamic push and pull made the performance feel pretty and affecting – a strong beginning to what would be a memorable night at the Windmill.
Next came Speedial, the first of two appearances from drummer Joe Killick. Long established as a staple at the venue, the band’s art rock infused with jazz rock felt tight and considered throughout, Joe’s intricate drumming never letting up as Serena Garrod’s math rock-leaning guitar lines played off his rhythms with precision. Underpinning it all was Millie Kirby’s bass, providing the backbone the music needed to hold together, while Monarch Vavrechka’s saxophone proved to be the finishing touch, lifting the music further and emphasising the jazz inflections that ran through the set, especially in its slower and more intimate moments.
The penultimate act, Rabbitfoot, brought a striking blend of influences to the stage. Their music pulled from baroque stylings through violin, electronic and dance elements via Moog synths, post-punk textures from guitar and drums, and over the top of it all came a mix of spoken-word and shouted, story-like lyricism. What could have been a clash of sounds instead became something heartfelt and unique, the instruments blending together in a way that felt completely their own, creating a style of indie music that will be hard for any new act to imitate.
With the room primed, wing! closed the night, their set-up of Mac, guitar, keyboard, bass and drums filling the small stage. After a quick line check they launched into Let the Rest Go, and from that point everything clicked. Joe’s fluid, jazz-driven drumming carried over seamlessly from Speedial into this setting, weaving around Adam Swan’s desolate, ambient textures, while Kai Charlton’s bass offered another grounding point in the trio’s sound. For the next forty to fifty minutes they played almost without pause, holding the crowd in a spell of entrancement. The downtempo, electronic textures, mixed with the looseness of jazz, felt otherworldly, as if the music was stretching and folding time, conjuring the sensation of wandering through a late night disconnected from everyone and everything around you.
The set made clear just how strong the partnership between Adam, Joe and Kai has already become. Having won the Green Man Rising competition earlier this year, wing! have shown that their intricate and expressive approach to electronic jazz has real weight, and this release show only underlines that potential. ‘MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE’ feels like the start of something special, and if they continue to expand on the ideas shown here, even greater things surely lie ahead.
Words: Noelle Radewicz Photos: Cole Pemberton