Search The Line of Best Fit
Search The Line of Best Fit

The Parrots talk us in to a party in London

09 October 2015, 13:26 | Written by Sarah Joy

Following close on the footsteps of Madrid indie outfit Hinds, The Parrots are an export of the Spanish garage scene that was very much welcome in dreary London. As the nights close in, everyone was in need of a large dose of upbeat energy and with this exuberant guitar trio; there was plenty on tap.

Playing at Hackney’s newest venue, Moth Club, with its sparkly gold ceiling and old boozer ornaments, the band couldn’t have been planted more thoroughly into the eccentric London DIY scene. Flocks of inebriated Europeans and the wonky followers of London tastemakers Bad Vibrations were rammed into the retro dance floor waiting.

The Whig Whams were a good introduction to the many guitars of the evening. Thrashy and blissfully obnoxious, we all could have been transported back to the era they were probably born; the early nineties. With songs named things like “Barbara Streisand’s Vagina”, these hell raisers demand attention and actually deserve it. Luckily for us, the San Diego threesome has recently located to London so hopefully you’ll be able to see them screaming in a backroom near you soon.

With The Parrots’ latest EP called Weed For The Parrots, the headliners are a band that comes with a somewhat rowdy reputation that precedes them. Even their support alluded to it earlier in the night, when one of The Whig Whams, asked, “Who hear smokes weed? …No? And you’re coming to see The Parrots?” to raucous laughs.

For stoner’s, The Parrots’ brand of hazy noise is anything but lazy; it is guttural and manic, launching itself around the stage unashamedly. Encouraging the crowd into their drunken world to “dance and get as sweaty as we are”, lead singer and guitar Diego Garcia and bassist Alex de Lucas are infectious entertainment.

Their Spanish drawling accents are all part of the appeal, adding a jaunty element to songs like “White Fang” where electric guitars and offbeat harmonies jangle over little else. It was when they got to their native tongue that stuff kicked off, as “Burbujas” near saw a lighting rig nearly come down as kids crowd surfed and hung from the glittered ceiling.

The poppier “I Did Something Wrong” bought everything back under control but did little to persuade people away from dancing. Its cutesy chorus sounds slightly more indie but is just as fun. The band also had some new material up their skinny jeans as a track called “No Me Gustas, Te Quiero” got its first live play to good response.

Finishing on the chaotic chanting chorus of “Somebody To Love”, the band was joined on stage by most of the sweaty and swaying audience. It’s not often enough that London sees crowd invasions and like Hinds before them, The Parrots are the perfect party-starter.

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