Live Review: Enumclaw - Crofters Rights, Bristol 24/05/2023
American grungers Enumclaw take to the stage at Bristol’s Crofter’s Rights.
If you googled Enumclaw, the results would be radically different. There is either the quaint city in Washington created by a volcanic mudflow or the disturbing case of zoophiliac Kenneth D. Pinyan. Thankfully, the North American band of the same name prove to be the winning third option. The grunge four-piece united in their hometown Tacoma in Washington, known colloquially as Grit City. Grit isn’t something they are short of, shown in their debut album Save The Baby. Standout songs like ‘2002’ and ‘Jimmy Neutron’ ponder the art of losing control of oneself amidst a backdrop of jagged riffs.
Therefore the support act Humour served as a fitting opener to warm up the crowd at Crofters Rights in Bristol. Instead of pondering losing control like Enumclaw, they let loose with no hesitation. Not quite living up to their name when playing ‘pure misery’, the punky quartet certainly provided a riotous beginning to the night.
The absurd ‘yeah mud!’ covered death and Cossacks, vivid but vague and oddly euphoric. A welcome premiere of new song 'Take a look at my top' gave us a sneak peek into their future material. The Glasgow born band poured all their energy into a loud and raucous set that demonstrated their ability to wake up even the most stagnant Wednesday night crowd by letting themselves go in chaotic fashion.
Enter Enumclaw, the anticipation was high - thankfully they delivered. The majority of their set was made up of tracks from Save The Baby, their life-affirming breakthrough album. On the title track frontman Aramis Johnson drawled “I just wanna wake up brand-new” onstage, unaware at the time of writing this song, their new beginning was n’t as far away as they thought.
They displayed the confidence and experience of an indie band that has been bouncing around bars and basements gigging across America, the laboured preparation shines through on their European tour. They teased the overt politeness of the British public saying "You guys know it’s not illegal to come forward right? Come on!" beckoning people closer to the stage.
The most refreshing aspect to note is to see a rock band live that has clearly taken their time in crafting melodies as opposed to throwing all the guitars at a song and seeing what sticks. Cuts they played from early EP Jimbo Demo like 'Cinderella' and 'Free Drop Billy' are the best examples of how their lo-fi grunge earworms are catchy yet bewitchingly mellow.
In a small sweaty dark room, the crowd was endlessly charmed by this brand of Dear Diary rock and roll. We're talking about man feelings, and man do they feel. In Cowboy Bebop, Johnson lamented “If you had to choose, tell me would you be you?” to their fans. In Park Lodge they confess "In my life I prayed for change about a thousand times". A thousand times later, the long-awaited change is here. After years of ascending through the ranks, Enumclaw are in their own league of grungy greatness.
Words by Oliver Evans
