Art School Girlfriend photo credit Zak Watson
As I stand in the relatively small space of Gorilla in Manchester tonight, the thumping bass and house beat of ‘L.Y.A.T.T’ blasts through the room, the whole crowd lost in a trance of colourful lights and bright visuals on a screen behind Art School Girlfriend.
But that comes later. At the start of the show, Polly and her touring band of AJ on the drums and Marika on bass and backing vocals take to the stage and waste no time getting into things. The visual of a waterfall appears on the screen behind them and ‘The Peaks’ is the first number to kick things off, and if you thought the studio version was good, seeing and hearing it live is even better. The visuals paired with the lighting will take you into a euphoric trance. ASG picks up her guitar for the next one, playing a dreamy rhythm throughout ‘Diving’. ‘Down The Line’ brings an even more relaxed vibe to the room, the synth carrying the song along with a steady beat from AJ to match.
‘Bending Back’ starts off with the soothing bass line and builds from there. Polly’s vocals seem to fill the room on this track. the synth is brilliant here as well; it does a great job at carrying the song. ‘A Place to Lie’ is superb, the energy of the track halfway through just jumps up massively. It’s ecstatic. One of the biggest moments of the gig is ‘L.Y.A.T.T’, I remember thinking when I heard the album version I knew it would be great live. I was not wrong. It’s a spectacle, this ambient house electronica song shaking the Gorilla, everyone is getting into it. it’s at this point the whole show feels like a technicolour dream, the sound and colours blending with each other to send your mind to the heavens. Pure bliss.
‘Save Something’ is entrancing live. The visuals on the screen of flowers paired with the hypnotic melody and soothing vocals. It’s mesmerising. I should also point out that Marika’s backing vocal work is wonderful, complimenting Polly’s perfectly. “This is my song about hating the internet” is what Art School Girlfriend says before launching into ‘Doing Laps’. Another number that captures a brilliant atmosphere live with the synths cutting through the air. ‘Heaven Hanging Low’ also brings the room alive, the whole room turning into a cacophony of electronic ambient sound. ‘Is It Light Where You Are’ starts with that marching beat, accompanied by the smooth synth backing Polly’s vocals. It has the whole room watching on, with the visuals showing photos taken by fans all around the world. ‘Hope More, Hopeless’ is the final song, and what an outro. The whole track just explodes into this atmospheric electronic monster towards the end, the lights flashing like a rave.
And with that, Art School Girlfriend thanks the audience and resigns to the Merch Stand (thanks for signing the LP!). The show was nothing but excellent from ASG, the atmosphere being electric throughout. The lighting and background visuals only enhanced the experience, and it’s safe to say the Gorilla crowd were entertained. I know I certainly was.
