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Wales seems to be overrun with radio-friendly and American-polished rock acts - the recent Full Ponty festival was testament to this. If you’re seeking an alternative to the dirge in creativity, then Cardiff outfit Soft Hearted Scientists may well be a good place to start. The bands wordy debut album, 'Uncanny Tales From The Everyday Undergrowth', was a record bursting with idiosyncratic folk and constructed with all manner of different musical tools. Their headline set at Clwb Ifor Bach was a rare outing for the normally recluse band, who also roped in a stellar under-card.
The frivolities kicked off with The Toy Band, with a jamboree of indie and blues that gave the majority of the crowd itchy feet. The lumbering riff from 'Devil On Your Back' sounded like it had been cheekily lifted from Alice Cooper’s 'School’s Out', whereas the ramshackle indie of 'Knockin’ On Your Door' had its heart set in The Coral’s warped melodies.
Bi-lingual soloist 'The Gentle Good' was next. The soft-spoken Welshman was spinning tales about other worldly subjects from serene forests to drinking escapades in Columbia. The crystalline finger-picking on 'Amser' was sublime, giving an obvious nod to Nick Drake with a mournful verse.
The arrival of SHS almost went unnoticed, as the band idly entered the stage from the front of the crowd. Spaced-out opener 'The A470 Song' was an ode to travelling up the spine of Wales in search of landscape and mountains. Lead singer Nathan Hall was in a playful mood and his northern timbre was at the forefront throughout. The caustic 'Eyes' poured scorn on reality television, with Harris showing his obvious distaste for the ubiquitous Big Brother.
The mood soon lifted with the sibling narrative of 'Brother Sister'. Again, Harris was the storyteller, recalling Christmas in North Wales amongst a melody fuelled by quirky synths and plucky mandolins. The hippy sensibilities of 'Siberia' almost acted as a pastiche to a generation of right-on idealists, but its well-crafted melody revealed SHS's ability to play adept pop music.
The band concluded with 'Drops In The Ocean United'. The paean to the sea acted as somewhat of an anti-climax to what was a taut performance. The Soft Hearted Scientists release their second album this summer - and although it’s unlikely to repeat the mainstream success of former indie-folk luminaries Gorki Zygotic Mynci - it will no doubt please those searching for a musical alternative bursting full of ideas and oddities.
