The sold-out venue was already nearly full when delayed arrivals Holiday Ghosts hit the stage. The four-piece were straight in with some rowdy surf rock, introducing an excellent set that was always unpredictable but ultimately satisfying; a bit like the Velvet Underground’s first album. With acoustic guitar giving the rhythmic pulse for some sixties-style lead guitar stylings and the versatility of three lead vocalists to alter the texture of the songs they drew mainly on tracks from their recent album ‘West Bay Playroom’.
This included the good rock’n’roll advice of ‘Take Heed’, the barely-contained anarchy of ‘Slipstream’ and the warmth of ‘Human Race’. I liked the way they stood in a semi-circle, maintaining a tight sound as the guitars sparked off the busy bass and drums.

Pip Blom and her band have a new album out; ‘Boat’ is a strong collection of relentless indie rock, with tonight’s opening song ‘Tinfoil’ setting the pace with its abrasive bold metronomic beat. More familiar song ‘I Think I’m in Love’ has a great catchy chorus and notes that bend while ‘Hours’ is a stealthy treat.

New single ‘Ruby’ continues to grow in stature and went down very well in the Portland tonight. Pip told the receptive crowd it was their first time in Cambridge and looked genuinely pleased with the reaction they were receiving. ‘Come Home’ is a sparser, darker slow-builder that stays lodged in your brain and ‘School’ is a loose dissonant groove that is over too quickly.

All this builds to the show-stopping double header at the end; ‘Daddy Issues’ and ‘Pussycat’ show the four musicians at their best, especially the brilliant drummer driving the point home at maximum energy as she had for the whole set. The well-structured set left no need for encores tonight; there was no doubt that this band make a great noise and impact, with the quality of musicianship and song writing shining through.

https://www.pipblom.com/
https://holidayghosts.bandcamp.com/