Dingy music venues sometimes suit the bands that play in them, especially when it comes to new acts. The rough-and-ready sounds of upstart outfits often feels right at home within the confines of peeling paint, stone floors and a lingering smell of leaky toilets. This certainly can\u2019t be said for Colouring\u2019s performance at The Soup Kitchen earlier this week, though. From the moment this London quartet take to the stage, the raw juxtaposition of \u2018basement bar\u2019 and \u2018polished sound\u2019 couldn\u2019t be more apparent. Perhaps they\u2019re the exception to the rule.<\/p>\n

However it wouldn\u2019t be surprising. Forming in the wake of short-lived indie act Osca, Colouring have quickly made a name for themselves despite not yet having a full length album to their name. A few online releases of their electro-pop flavor earned them an avid following, something that was only bolstered by the release of Symmetry<\/em>, a five track EP which contained a stripped back, ambient and highly addictive cover of Marvin Gaye\u2019s \u201cI Heard It Through The Grapevine\u201d. Throw in a cushy support slot opening for The 1975 back in 2016 and their rise to the mainstream feels all but imminent.<\/p>\n

If they\u2019re aware of that though, they certainly don\u2019t show it. Draped in a pale blue light (a colour that appears to be a motif linked to the imminent release of their debut record), frontman Jack Kenworthy remains cautiously optimistic throughout tonight\u2019s all-too-brief set. A selection of Symmetry tracks showcase the band\u2019s diversity of tone, from the synth-pop of \u201cIn Motion\u201d and the EP\u2019s title track, to the delicate finger clicks of \u201cHeathen\u201d and piano notes of \u201cEverything Has Grown\u201d. All of the above come together for some as-yet-unreleased tracks from the band\u2019s upcoming album, giving attendees a glimpse at their exciting next steps.<\/p>\n

Those here to bask in a live performance of that Marvin Gaye cover were left disappointed. Instead the band decide to pay tribute to another genre great, with bassist Dom Potts, guitarist Sean Reilly and drummer Alex Johnson temporarily leaving the stage allowing frontman Kenworthy to treat Manchester to an intimate solo rendition of Bonnie Raitt\u2019s bittersweet \u201cI Can\u2019t Make You Love Me\u201d. Wrapping things up at just under an hour, the band seem content with keeping things short and sweet where other new acts may be tempted to outstay their welcome. Maybe they know something we don\u2019t? Or like their stage presence suggests, maybe they\u2019re a band that\u2019s already outgrown the dive-bar scene and is ready for bigger things. Our money\u2019s on the latter.<\/p>\n

Words by Simon Bland (@SiTweetsToo<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep up to date on all the latest Northern entertainment news by following us on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Google+.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don’t expect this Southern Electro-pop outfit to play a venue this small again…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,27,4],"tags":[4906],"class_list":["post-7365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-live","category-reviews","tag-live"],"yoast_head":"\n