Live Review + Gallery | The Orielles @ The Cornish Bank, Falmouth

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The Orielles | T.D | Factor 50

The Cornish Bank, Falmouth

17th November 2023

Photography by Aoife Hyland

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CLUNK Events were very excited to host The Orielles last week for a fantastic show with support from Factor 50 and T.D

The Orielles are a shape-shifting band. From the bright indie pop of their earlier material to the darker shoegazey dream-pop of their most recent album, they never seem to stay in one place for too long. But, in the cosy walls of the Cornish Bank, they couldn’t have looked more at home.

First up from the supports were ex-Falmouth favourites Factor 50. Similarly ever-changing, the band have recently had a shakeup, with a new drummer and keys player and an entirely new setlist. While a bold move from a band only recently having dropped their debut album, it was a joy to see their set unfold. The new tracks are thoughtful, well structured and beautiful and their current lineup utilises each member perfectly. With highlights including Zach and Tom’s sax/trumpet harmonies and a wonderful cover of Sparklehorse’s ‘King Of Nails’, you need to catch them live, even if you think you know what to expect.

Next up was a semi-familiar face. T.D is the new project from Dry Cleaning guitarist Tom Dowse and he, like the other two bands performing, went against expectations yet again. While we might associate Dry Cleaning with monotonous but witty vocals and repetitive but catchy guitar lines, T.D was a whole different beast. With a mountain of pedals, Dowse kept the crowd’s attention exceptionally well for a solo artist with only a guitar. Witnessing this unfold from the front of the crowd (a place I accidentally found myself when he started playing with no fanfare), was fascinating and his more folky sound fit perfectly in between the two sets.

At this point, The Orielles are an incredibly tight, talented and exciting band to watch. Having seen them play several times at this point, this set felt particularly special, with a tangible connection between band and crowd. The Cornish Bank, with its quirky shape, red curtains and homely feel was the perfect setting for the dreamy atmosphere of the newer Orielles material. They capably filled every space with fuzzy warmth.

Their setlist was a nice variety of sounds, from the bubbly indie of their earlier work to the more shoegazey experimentation of recent months; their 2022 album ‘Tableau’ fully came to life on the stage. Highlights included ‘Beam/s‘, ‘The Room’, ‘The Instrument’ and ‘Airtight’. This last track especially was a wonder to watch, with the playful vocal experimentation adding a whole new dimension to the track when witnessed live.

We even had a playful moment or two, including the infectious ‘Bobbi’s Second World’ from their 2020 album ‘Disco Volador’. It’s easy to get swept away by an Orielles set, letting the washed out sound softly cover you, but, as lovely as this is, lock in on each member every now and again and you will see just how tight this band really are.

This was a fantastic night of bands both familiar and unfamiliar (and sometimes a bit of both). We were so thrilled to host such a lovely crowd and three of the most exciting sets we’ve seen this year.

Listen to ‘Tableau’ here:

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