East India Youth at Rough Trade East

William Doyle, the name behind the moniker East India Youth, is a clever twenty-something guy from Bournemouth. Having just released his debut album Total Strife Forever, Doyle is busy promoting it across the country – last night at Rough Trade East in Brick Lane.

Like the record, the live set sounds wonderfully wave (Heaven, How Long) with some cross references to the kraut (Total Strife Forever, Part I – IV), some to the German electronic glitch scene  (the superb Hinterland) and parts reminiscent of the more electronic moments of Matt Elliott’s Third Eye Foundation.

With his bass guitar, a laptop, one keyboard, effects and a drum machine, Boyle shows his talent and his shining music to the mixed audience, illustrating the intergenerational quality of William’s music. In fact, East India Youth, with his record and live sets, manages to reach young hipsters thanks to his age, his catchy spleen (the lyrics and the quasi-hypnagogic sound of Dripping Down) and his perfect image, but also reaches a more mature audience thanks to his musical skills and multitude of genres.

Thanks to these skills and his Total Strife Forever, East India Youth is definitely an artist to follow – this record is a must-listen for 2014.

Lorenzo Cibrario
Photos: Adam Bennett

For further information and future events visit East India Youth’s website here.

Watch the video for Looking for Someone here: