Britt Lundborg reports: Last night, Northside Festival kids were packed shin to shin for Memory Tapes whose chillwave, glo-fi, [insert bloggy musical trend here] sound grows serious teeth when heard live. On record, Memory Tapes swirl an impressive electro froth with trancey synths and bottled electronic drums. Seeing them on stage, you expect at least half a dozen white apples glowing in the dark and a little head bobbing by the key knob-twiddler. But nope, there the two guys are behind ACTUAL instruments – lead singer and guitarist, Dayve Hawk, and his drummer. And they play the shit out them. All the pieces of Memory Tapes’ incredibly catchy tunes are there, just in a slightly augmented fashion. It’s as though Hawk has emerged from his bedroom recording studio, demanded a six-string and said, “We’re doin’ this big, we’re doin’ this real, nothing from concentrate when we’re on the road.” And it works. It works like a charm. On their LP, Seek Magic, the stand-out track ‘Bicycle’ plucks and plinks until a euphoria-inducing guitar riff sweeps in and the floor fall from your feet. Live, that Hawk extends that riff into an epic squall and the song lasts for a solid 15 minutes where you can’t remember where you are. Truly transportive. Watch ‘Bicycle’ here.
