Young The Giant
Water Rats, London
08/02/11

On first inspection Young The Giant could be just another name on the new-for-2011 list. The buzz these young Californians have generated could give all the bees in the hive a run for their money. After a low-key EP and a support slot with Kings Of Leon last year, they are bracing themselves against a bleak British winter in support of debut UK single ‘Apartment’ on Young & Lost Club.
 
But is there more to this ragamuffin bunch of beach bums than meets the eye? Like Local Natives before them, Young The Giant trade in precision, intricacy and a patchwork pastoral sound that belies their youth. If Local Natives were exciting in their unpredictability, Young The Giant use confident audacity as their primary attention grabber. With a debut album already under their belts, it’s hard to believe the smoke has barely cleared from the candles on their 20th birthday cakes.

Crammed onto the stage they move around each other telepathically and it takes a while for us to stop worrying about possible inter-band injury, as mic stands and guitar necks compete for position (not to mention frontman Sameer Gadhia’s bruising performance with a tambourine.) This is a well-honed music machine that doesn’t miss a note, ‘Apartment’ and ‘Cough Syrup’ nod to Cold War Kids and the Followill family as piercing guitar lines compete with grumbling bass and dextrous vocals. “Who here has heard of us?” asks Gadhia. He barely waits for a response before asking, “Who hasn’t?” Young The Giant seem adamant that their music should do the talking, paying no attention to the buzz no matter how cacophonous.

Ben Homewood