TOY at Old Blue Last

It is fair to say that Monday’s TOY second album launch gig was a real surprise. Onstage these guys from Brighton have the same giddy energy of those who have just made it in the music business, and considering the presence of the London music elite at the venue, it is not surprising.

The gig was a shock because one could never have thought of TOY as a seminal band, or something more than a teen band, but that assumption is wrong. Onstage these five are extremely professional, managing to create a pop-punk wall of sound with several tasty psych-kraut reflections.

Having just released their second album Join The Dots the band were celebrating at the Old Blue Last in front of the usual crowd of such a hipster venue; sometimes it really seems that these people are just following a mode rather than the music.

TOY’s mix of musical genres comes out onstage where the five transform their songs into something more sophisticated: a little bit of kraut here (the best member of the team is the Spanish keyboard player Alejandra Diez, giving the band that twist that put them on top of the average), some psychedelic guitar there as well as a killer bass or a good drum session.

This mix of pop, noise and kraut is the signature element of a band who are improving their skills very quickly; they will be for sure one of the best acts of 2014. Good luck.

Lorenzo Cibrario

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

 Watch the video for Totem and Taboo here: