It’s not very often that we attend a show to specifically check out the support band. Often a musical backwater of palatable nerves, audience chatter and underwhelming tunes, support slots can be tricky, especially in London – a guilty-until-proven-innocent, arms folded affair where gig goers are spoilt for choice on a nightly basis.
But having been utterly charmed by their recent EP, when Hippo Campus were announced as the support act for Walk The Moon recently, we jumped at the opportunity to see the Minnesota four-piece strut their stuff. What we witnessed was one of the most impressive openings of a show that we’ve seen in a long time. Throughout their 30 minute set the group showcase their taught, angular-yet-drifting indie-pop, with singer/guitarist Jake Luppon coming across throughout as an excitable puppy of a front man.
Tracks such as ‘Suicide Saturday’ glide along under a sea of twangy guitar motifs and Luppon’s All American croon. Throughout their Bashful Creatures EP the group show off their knack for earworm melodies and intricate instrumentation. On slower tracks such as the powerful ‘Souls’ the group master that anthemic, textured sound that wouldn’t sound out of place booming around the larger venues our country has to offer. The EP’s title track inparticular highlights what a magnificent instrument the quartet have in Luppon’s rangey vocals.
Whilst it’s still early days for the band, with their first trip to the UK now under their belts, as well as some further UK dates that include Reading and Leeds festivals confirmed for this summer, it’s surely only a matter of time until Hippo Campus graduate up to a bigger league. Their sound is more than worthy of it.
The Bashful Creatures EP is out now.
The post Introducing // Hippo Campus appeared first on When The Gramophone Rings.