Big Deal at Cargo Shoreditch

Anglo-US duo Big Deal, formally Kacey Underwood and Alice Costelloe, play dream/shoe-gaze pop (also known as a “cheese-gaze” because of its bubblegum taste) focused on love stories and sentimental crashes. Following the release last summer of their second LP June Gloom, the duo played yesterday at Cargo in Shoreditch, before many a melancholic fan wrapped up in their sweaters and romantic moods.

The music of Big Deal is reminiscent of a teen sweater or like the first broken love story of a fifteen-year-old girl with braces on her teeth; this spleen, this mal du vivre is expressed with noisy guitar à la My Bloody Valentine or in the shape of the early Smashing Pumpkins – and thanks to the soft and distant voice of singer Costelloe.

If one wished to be critical, one could say that their slightly 90s style makes all songs sound very similar, which is a pity considering their potential and scenic presence (a female singer and a female drummer is always a strong and winning imagery in the rock business). This band should try to be more heterogeneous in terms of arrangements, in order to offer a more complex and different point of view on its music. The live set was nevertheless strong thanks to the addition of a drummer and another guitarist. Together with them, Big Deal played both songs from the first album Lights Out (Locked Up; 13; Homework) and the new (Dream Machine; In Your Car; Teradactol).

Opening act Traams, from West Sussex, should not be overlooked. This post-punk trio put on the best show of the night. Nervous and stylish, onstage their sound explodes in hundreds of references – Talking Heads, Wire and a touch of kraut rock in several moments. Keep an eye on this trio.

Lorenzo Cibrario
Photos: Adam Bennett

For further information and future events visit Big Deal’s website here.

Watch the video for Dream Machine here: