Live Review: Hinds at Rescue Rooms

Stood in a packed out Rescue Rooms – with ciders flowing and garage-pop fans alike – the four-piece Spanish girl band Hinds took to the stage.

Prior to the main show, Hinds have been supported by Beeston’s finest Nactus Kunan, who brought their slick guitars, heavy synths and 808 beats alongside six-piece indie band Sports Team. The lights dimmed, hands raised to the ceiling, and whistles roared throughout. A huge orchestral entrance as the girls dance onto the stage, “Are you ready to rock and roll? Oops!” guitarist and vocalist Carlotta Cosials screams accidentally forgetting her cue.

Opening with the incredible ‘Soberland,’ a lo-fi 60s-inspired cut off their latest LP, they have the whole crowd dancing unapologetically. Following with the beachy and warm ‘Chili Town,’ the girls are oozing confidence and stage presence, transforming Rescue rooms into what feels like summer in the late 60s — “What’s up Nottingham?” Ana Perrote (guitar and vocals) screams to the crowd. A mixture of applause and welcoming floods the room.

“Are you feeling sad?” the band asks, “I don’t know if it’s a human feeling of Sunday’s but I used to feel sad every single Sunday of my life. We are here to make your Sunday better!”

And aren’t they doing so?

It’s time for their cover of Kevin Ayers’ ‘Caribbean Moon,’ as the guitarists collectively join together and dance freely from one side of the stage to the other — somehow in sync — quite impressive really. Hips are swaying and smiles surface all around, Hinds have the crowd hooked and it’s brilliant.

“Nottingham… You like to dance? Well, let’s f*****g dance then!”

Midway into the set as the band begins to play ‘Easy,’ a mid-tempo cut followed by a hard-hitting, rock-and-roll guitar solo, “Who said it was gonna be easy?” Perrote poignantly shrugs to the crowd. Albeit the diaphanous atmosphere quickly shifts once they jokingly announce “Tomorrow we have a day off… we’re off to a gay club after this!” Well, you deserve it girls.

Next up is the successful ‘Garden,’ a beautiful bold intro, accompanied by summery and yearning guitars and a catchy singalong chorus — “You won’t say you’re bored anymore ‘cause I can take you dancing” they sing jumping across the stage, followed by a casual twenty-second note hold. It’s refreshing to watch a band come across so humble and display a willingness to manifest their personalities at gigs so effortlessly, it’s like they’re currently performing in their front room to a close-knit collective of family and friends.

The band undergo’s ‘The Club’ and the entire front four rows are jumping like they’re on pogo sticks. It’s salient to note that — during the past fifteen minutes as I stand at the back admiring this wonderful show — not one mobile phone has been raised in the air. Music like this, bands like this, and fans like this all have one thing in common… the appreciation of living in the moment.

“How long has it been since we’ve been to Nottingham?” Perrote asks the crowd. An abundant of voices reply: “Two years!” from different corners of the room, “Two years too long!” the band quickly responds in unison.

Before performing ‘Tester,’ she takes a moment to shift the focus onto a darker topic: “Today it’s international domestic violence day, this song was written by women, for women.” Opening with an elegant and stripped-back intro, they sing “We both know what we saw / Something potentially close to love / I don’t know what I saw in you.” As soon as the punchy chorus hits, heads are flying everywhere — it virtually looks as if there’s a mosh pit — then I realise singer Perrote has just promptly jumped off stage and down to the crowd. For a second I thought she may crowd surf, but not tonight.

The more I look around, I notice the sheer diversity of people watching tonight. Despite a few peculiar hooligan chants from a group of older men towards the back to which Perrote responds “Yeah we’re gonna need a translator for that… we’re Spanish!” it’s quite astonishing to see such a multitudinous group of people all appear to equally appreciate an indie-rock band from across the pond.

Up next is their Clash cover, ‘Spanish Bombs,’ which has really got the crowd going. With the lead singers replacing the proper pronouns with “Nottingham” throughout its entirety, enthused screams are emerging from around the venue. It’s always admirable when a gig can take you to a new place almost — no troubles no worries — just being there in the moment. On this dull, dark and rainy Sunday evening, it appears as if these girls are doing their utmost to shun any kind of pathetic fallacy tonight.

A wonderful guitar solo in the breakdown of ‘Finally Floating,’ then the girls leave the stage promptly and the crowd begins to cheer; its pretty clear encores have become a predictable part of a show over the years. Within a minute they return to the stage and as I start to peer through the many heads in the crowd, one boy begins to crowd surf — starting a trend, as others soon follow. The back drop behind the bands reads “Hi, we’re Hinds, and we’re ready to rock and roll” and I think it’s pretty safe to say they, have stuck to their word tonight.

Managing to fit an overwhelming 16 songs into an hour set, Hinds remember to ask us the all-important question: “Do you feel happier than before the show started?” Well, judging by the roar that just erupted from around the venue, I think that’s a yes. Finishing the gig with the uplifting and dream-pop anthem ‘New For You,’ they begin to thank everyone for being here tonight and the applause continues for a lengthy minute or so. Let’s hope it’s not another two years before they return to Nottingham again.

By Nick Lowe