A Void Collective Presents… @ The Lab (24/04/25)
The Lab opened its doors for a night of musical extravagance as A Void Collective hosted a showcase of the fresh, fantastic and abstract homemade Northampton talent. Being the offbeat capital there could be no better place to house such an event with a warm and friendly community filling the space with support and positivity as The Dodo Appreciation Society, Marabar Caves, Maevis Darkhourse, and Introverts took to the stage.
Host of the night (A Void Collective) are a newly emerged promotion company committed to helping Northampton’s vibrant music florist by giving artists of any shape, sound and image a place to perform in the spotlight. As the music industry becomes ever so more laborious to find one's foot in having a promotion company of this form is priceless in keeping the local music scene alive by giving every artist's work a place to grow. With this being only their second event the value they’ve seemed to add to the community is already showing with a surprisingly vast audience finding the time to attend.
Introverts:
First to take the stage were new kids on the block Introverts, and did they half make a splash playing their first ever public show. With a mix of original and cover songs we saw a glimpse of the talent to come out of college doors and I can definitely say kids are alright!
This five piece gave us euphonious rock decorated in pristine vocals, tight arrangements and ornate guitar solos. Their set was a celebration of their influences with covers by genre defining bands Arctic Monkeys, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and Kings of Leon, as well as a sneak peak behind the curtain of what these youngsters are working on. With this being their first ever show of course there is some way for this young band to go, however the future is looking bright with their already firm live sound and buoyant songwriting.
The support for a fresh band is euphoric when seeing the room filled with friends, family and strangers engaging with the band, and having a great time. It’s hard to judge a band on their first show with nerves being high and being out in a very foreign situation, but Introverts breezed through their set almost as if they’d been around for some time. It’s going to be exciting to see how they progress and I’m glad I can say I was there at the first.
Maevis Darkhorse:
As the evening moved on Folk duo Maevis Darkhorse brought a haze of naturality to The Lab with their wispy sonics and tranquil demeanour. Almost like a breath of fresh air their music swept through the room, cleansing the scenes and calming the mind.
This duo featured a stripped back arrangement with two vocals, acoustic guitar and what seemed to be a saw played with a violin bow. Their candescent harmonies were like sugar to the ear with great use of the guitar as a harmonic and percussive instrument. The addition of the saw gave a eary beauty to their sound which gave off a baritone whistle, helping to add melodic diversity away from the vocals at points.
Despite technical difficulties early on in the set Maevis Darkhourse played through it flawlessly as if nothing had even happened showing true musicianship. The audience seemed delightfully enduled in their serene soundscape feeling at ease from the chaos of the outside world.
Marabar Caves:
From harmonious folk we were then welcomed to raw classic rock when Marabar Caves ignited The Lab with their explosive performance. This four piece really got the room moving in ways I haven’t seen for a while through their spirited songwriting and lively stage presence,much to their own delight when seeing the crowd so engaged in their music.
The crisp guitar tones, concrete vocals and punchy rhythm section gave this band the air of an extremely well seasoned band by the way in which everything worked in perfect unison. Even the vocal harmonies were trimmed to a high standard helping to add depth to otherwise uniformed melodies. With such a concrete live sound and precise rhythmic unison these guys seemed to have mastered the art of live shows with the coinciding feature of powerful stage presence.
I was personally impressed by the engagement created between the performance and the crowd through how well received Marabar Caves were, and the way in which their energy seemed to leak into the audience. The dancing and appearance of a conger line was a delight to see and clarifies the point that music brings people in such wonderful ways.
The Dodo Appreciation Society:
Drawing an end to the evening we were blessed by the outlandish presence of The Dodo Appreciation Society. No words can express the overwhelming enjoyment I had while watching this duo takeover the stage with their overly unorthodox and hilarious performance of odd time signatures and immature lyrics.
To pinpoint a genre of this band is superfluous other than describing them as two guys playing songs with chaotic rhythms, outrageous guitar tones, and questionable lyrical themes. As unsavoury as some might find such music The Lab was the perfect place for such incisively abstract songwriting where the audience were truly engrossed in the chaos and comedy these two seem to conger up.
The percussive diversity of the drummer was a sight to behold and made for quite the immersive experience. Along with the quirky nature of his stage presence and vibrant outfit it made up for the empty space created on stage for the band only being a duo, giving something for the eyes to feed on. As far as front men go there was no faulting the talent he had of filling the sonic space with abstract sound and showing his versatility on the guitar, harmonica, and kazoo. My only disappointment is in not seeing The Dodo Appreciation Society sooner and having to wait to be thoroughly entertained by these guys again. If you haven’t already they’re definitely one to be seen.
End:
Without a doubt this was the most fun I’ve seen at a local show for a while with good energy, conger lines and a community of people coming together for an uplifting Thursday evening. Thank you A Void Collective and all involved for another memorable night.
