Live Review: Ten Fé +JW Ridley +Baywaves @ Oslo 09/02/2017



Ten Fé have been listed as one of the bands to watch this year, so we sent along our guy Rhys Haberfield to go check them out.



Baywaves – a Spanish four piece that profess themselves as “Hipnopop”. Quite what that meant, I wasn’t sure, but all became apparent once they took to the stage. With a bass-heavy mix, chorused vocals and a tonne of reverb, the band emanate good vibes. It’s a shame the crowd isn’t larger (despite it already being quite late) – there’s an energy here that could easily take over a crowd. Bassist Fran is probably the most animated of the four, both musically and in charisma; the basslines frequently dominate the soundscape and I’m continuously drawn to it; whether the venue’s sound tech mixed it that way or that’s just their sound, it’s distracting in the best way possible.

Baywaves - Oslo - 09/03/2017 - London

JW Ridley gets a slightly larger audience which reassures me for the rest of the night. The solo artist plays with backing tracks which feels a bit lacklustre, a full band would make the entire JW Ridley experience far more enjoyable - the delayed guitar and processed vocals give his sound an 80s feel so I half expect him to break out into “Take On Me”. He’s a decent singer, there’s no doubt about that and the crowd fills out significantly during his short set.

JW Ridley - Oslo - 09/03/2017 - London

Ten Fé are from London and, to me anyway, feel like the most mainstream of tonight’s acts. Not that this is a bad thing of course – the London quintet has filled the room and the crowd absolutely love the set. Recent single, “Twist Your Arm” gets a special response from the room, with nearly every word sung back with ease. Ten Fé give a good performance that, save for a broken guitar strap goes off without a hitch. A single encore wraps the night up and sends everyone home with a smile on their face.

Ten Fé - Oslo - 09/03/2017

Words and Photography by Rhys Haberfield
When The Horn Blows