Mallet Space - Review
A Bongo, Violin, Glockenspiel fusion.
Goofy and a bit clunky but a complete treat for the ears. Mallet Space welcomes an embrace of the new sincerity trend and their performance is nothing short of heart-warming.
The professional debut of Mallet Space, an eight-piece post-rock band, took place at The Hug and Pint, as part of the First Footing festival on the 14th of January 2024.
Everything about them shouldn't work, long songs, silly subject matters, so many people, and a tiny set of drums! Yet, the factors blend harmoniously, creating music that just makes you smile.
The room was swarmed, wall to wall the venue was packed with giggling onlookers, intrigued by how all eight people, paired with each of their eight instruments were supposed to squeeze onto the stage.
The question was answered as the eight members descended, hopping over wires and dodging mic-stands, in a mission impossible challenge to reach their spots without knocking over each other's guitars.
Once firmly in their places, each member beamed at the audience, which seemed to beam back; they began to play.
Their first song, ‘Whitman and Baker’ introduced us to Mallet Space with a story of two men’s adventure across the world as ‘stowaways on a cargo plane’. The song started off slowly, gradually building in intensity, before a sudden tonal shift into a preaching vocal and a powerful drum, punk-esque sound.
A stark contrast to the following song, ‘Letting my dinner go down’ a much calmer, dreamier performance; bongo heavy with a mystical feel.
Of their set, ‘Clown’ was a personal highlight, it was one of their more upbeat songs, about a clown’s desperate plea for forgiveness to their ashamed parents. It was quirky, it had levels, the singer really came alive during this number, her attitude was entirely enticing. The show kicked up a notch when the band began performing an eerie rendition of nostalgic circus music mid-song, taking the entire audience by surprise.
Roswell was their final song, a satisfying, cinematic, perfectly-timed number. It had seamless transitions and musical shifts, showcasing the glockenspiel that sat centre stage. The lyrics tell the story of an alien ‘hanging around’ in Earth’s airspace who doesn't want to go home to his own planet. A poignant reflection of the attitudes of the audience, who like that little alien, did not want to go home!
Mallet Space possesses the charisma and novelty of eight pals having a laugh, their joy on stage is infectious and makes you want to join in too, all whilst producing beautiful, technical, exciting music. A band who clearly take pride in their craft, offering lyrically and musically complex songs to charm the masses.
