Having got over the disappointment of the cancellation of the scheduled gig at the Dublin Castle in Camden, Ombudsmen's London debut was upon us in the form of a Sunday matinee gig at the equally prestigious Hope & Anchor on Islington's Upper Street. A hallowed venue in my opinion having played host to pretty much every band that I have ever been into, including The Stranglers, The Damned, 999 and The Specials. To stand in that small subterranean space is to absorb something of London's musical heritage of the past 50 years! And lo and behold, that's Mo on the stage as one of Manchester's Ombudsmen.
The band have been building up something of a live reputation in Manchester in particular (they supported Scott Lavene last week), but also in Liverpool and other towns in the North West (Huddersfield and Blackpool come to mind).
They play a set of original material that draws in influences from Devo (just listen to 'Solon's Marble' and you will see where I am coming from to post punk (I can hear early Factory era Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in the intro to 'Take Everything'. Other reviewers have likened the bands sound to kraut rock pioneers such as Neu!. I know that such comparisons are very pleasing for Mo, who is a big fan!
The band are not afraid of experimentation in their songs with frequent tempo changes unexpected experimental breaks. Mo has adopted a static stance on stage which is a good counterpoint to her moments of let's say more aggressive vocals.
'Fake It' by Ombudsmen.
Many thanks to the taper who was happy to share this recording with me. Much appreciated!
WAV: https://we.tl/t-zqNInuU7mm
Artwork: https://we.tl/t-snkdeT3wvW
The bands current E.P., 'Fizzy Milk' can be found on Spotify.
