The Great Escape: Thus:Owls, Coalition, Brighton, May 13 (From The Argus)

The Great Escape: Thus:Owls, Coalition, Brighton, May 13

2:31pm Monday 16th May 2011 in The Critic By Adrian Imms

There's an other-worldly sound to Thus:Owls, a part-Swedish band adding to a Swedish-themed night at Coalition, headlined by one of the country's most unsung exports, The Radio Department.

With a diverse and deep sound, Thus:Owls brought out shades of Portishead or Sigur Ros. The former comparison mainly exists through the presence of female singer Erika Angell, who displayed a great vocal range. For other reasons, though, the Portishead reference prevailed in that their sound had a pained and gritty undertone to it.

Angell's voice does seem to be the stand-out component, which is a good thing when, currently, few singers seem to have the conviction to actually sing. “You're a singer, for goodness sake, so sing like you mean it”, I sometimes think when watching newer bands.

The rest of the band played their part too and, through a set of keyboards, loops and effects, had a broad sonic palette at their disposal.

There is certainly something publishable about them – perhaps for an advert or a film – and, if they can combine their strengths with a few more stand-out songs, they could be quite successful.