Billy Nomates 'CACTI UK Tour' Review - 21st April, Leeds Stylus

Billy Nomates 'CACTI UK Tour' Review at Leeds Stylus - Alt-Pop Songstress is One of the Most Compelling Performers in Modern Music

Tor Maries AKA Billy Nomates is easily one of my favourite artists of the past three years. Originally emerging out of the post-punk revival scene of the late 2010’s, and releasing her brilliant self titled album in August 2020, she soon made the full fledged transition into hard edged alternative pop with the great ‘Emergency Telephone’ EP the following year. Most recently, she released the album CACTI in January, without doubt her most accessible release, and all the more brilliant because of it. Although saying that, the sense of abrasive punk spikiness was still present in full force, and it’s that contrast that makes her music so interesting, on top of being a brilliant performer, vocalist, and songwriter to boot. So, given how I enjoyed the album so much, as well as how great her previous tours have been, I just had to get tickets to her new tour.

The Stylus itself is the ideal forum in my mind for a gig like this. Given its relatively small capacity, along with a decent sized mosh pit, I’ve known that particular room at gigs I’ve been to before, and even with bands like The Residents, it becomes a beacon of pure energy and adrenaline, a highly appropriate vibe for the night ahead I should think. However, before Tor herself took to the stage, Australian indie rockers RVG were slated for support. As much as you play a kind of roulette with opening acts as to whether they’ll be great or just kind of forgettable, or even a bit shit, RVG were a very pleasant surprise indeed. They seemed to be operating in the ambient psychedelic lane of indie that many bands are these days, but with a bit of a grunge influence in the mix as well to give them that spikiness and distinctive personality. Fittingly enough then, they use these waves of distorted and reverbed guitars, retro synthesizers and stomping drums to sing songs of love, loss and heartbreak with a dark, slightly nihilistic edge, that I found incredibly compelling. Front woman Romy Vega may not be the most technically proficient singer, but the grit and fire in her delivery and diction are incredible, and the potent, often tragic emotions put forward in her performance and through her lyrics come across incredibly powerful. This in turn, gives a lot of the songs a highly dramatic, almost unhinged quality, the closer ‘I Used To Love You’ being prime example, as the despondent energy of the band hits you at full force and Romy flounces and writhes around the stage. The only thing I would say is that due to the very atmospheric, hazy, depressive sound they’ve cultivated, a lot of the songs did tend to blur together after a while. It was an enjoyable blur, but they could perhaps be said to sound a little one dimensional. Not to say it was all doom and gloom though, as as dark as I might have made them sound, it was clear the band were having fun, taking time between songs to banter with the audience, and even laughing freely at their own fuck ups. Fair play. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable set, which made me highly excited to review their new album ‘Brain Worms’ upon release, as the tracks they played from it here sounded pretty cool. (The review is now up on YouTube here).

Then, after a short break, the woman of the hour emerges on stage in full Paul McCartney gear (i.e suit and trousers combo sans socks), acoustic guitar in hand. This might have caught fans of her older stuff off guard, after all, acoustic guitar was never a sonic hallmark of hers, but if you heard the new album, you knew what was coming. That being the song ‘fawner’, a song that was certainly a surprise upon release, but a fantastic one for sure. It shows Tor’s singing voice in her finest form, as she delivers a hushed and pensive acoustic ballad that can only be described as beautiful. Right from the off, it seemed clear that Tor wanted to make a point for any skeptics in attendance that she has much more up her sleeves than run-of-the-mill post-punk rants. Point very well made. It’s four minutes of airy, lighter waving goodness to ease us in for the craziness to follow. Then, as soon as she launches into the brilliant ‘black curtains in the bag’ and later ‘blue bones (deathwish)’, you get exactly what you came for. Despite the minimal instrumental and often melancholic melodies and subject matter, the catchiness of these tracks is infinitely obvious. Power pop singalong anthems with punk attitude and an electronic flair, but also a compellingly tragic element weaved in there too. Without fail, basically every track from the new album had quite a few people singing along with the chorus in full voice. That’s quite something. If the catchiness of the songs themselves wasn’t enough, Tor delivers lyrics with truckloads of panache and fire, and bounds around the stage with more energy than a Tasmanian Devil. I was getting worn out just watching. The combination of her lively, give-all-you’ve-got stage presence and stark, soul-baring lyrics makes this gig feel in a way twice as intimate as it already would.

Without a doubt the reception to the new material was pretty fantastic, but at the opening bass notes of debut album singles ‘No’ and ‘Hippy Elite’ were met with roars and whoops of recognition from the crowd, as they should have been, they’re amazing after all. The potency and humour of the lyrics in those songs hasn’t diminished an iota in the three years they’ve been out. Despite their gnarliness, inevitably, by the end, a bloody good sing along was had. A rowdy, moshing, sweaty sing along, but a great one nonetheless. Interestingly, as Tor’s sound and style has subtly shifted over time, it means that as a result, some of the older tracks are given a new lease of life, or perhaps even a whole new dynamic in some cases. Perhaps the melodic parts were more sharp-edged, or the punkier, more openly rebellious parts a more tuneful dimension. No vocal backing to be seen here beyond additional vocals, and so while the image of Tor on stage with a microphone while the instrumentals blast from the speakers may give the impression that there’s not much different to her actual “live sound”, her freewheeling, unpredictable performance style says otherwise. There are a fair few different melodic intricacies that Tor gives to these songs that you just don’t get on record. Of course, every song is sung brilliantly as well. This melodic changeability isn’t just for the case for old stuff though, as the three track run of ‘Same Gun’, ‘Vertigo’, and ‘Cacti’ demonstrates. The first a hard edged take on honky tonk cowboy music, the second a fiery, psychedelic, skittering jig, and the third a minimal, fittingly hazy jaunt. All are very different tracks, but all are given new sonic dimensions in the live context, especially when she takes the decision to start freestyle harmonising with the backing vocals. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t necessarily a massive fan of ‘Cacti’ on record, but I very much enjoyed it here. It might sound like a relatively subtle change, but along with the immense amounts of charisma, energy, and melodic precision already on display, it really makes a difference.

We then reach a bit of an odd juncture in the setlist with ‘Roundabout Sadness.’ This was a track from the new album that, while compelling melodically, its lo-fi presentation and short run time made it feel more of an interstitial moment, so I was surprised to hear it live. While the melodies are still very nice, and Tor’s invigorating vocal presence is definitely a positive, the instrumental still obviously sounds a little distant, and the rhythmic pounding of an up until now ornamental cymbal on the side of the stage felt an odd, slightly redundant addition. It was enjoyable, but definitely a bit of a head scratcher. Following this we’re treated to two tracks from the ‘Emergency Telephone’ EP: ‘Heels’ and ‘Petrol Fumes.’ As far as sonics are concerned, the EP’s main appeal, as well as acting as a transition into Tor’s more heavily melodic sound, also have a uniquely retro and nocturnal appeal with its psychedelic, soulful keys, funky beats and sometimes lovestruck lyrics in the case of ‘Petrol Fumes.’ Thus, the placement of the two tracks together acts as a really nice, somewhat dreamy palette cleanser in context of the rest of the set. Saying that, the following track, ‘Cacti’ closer ‘blackout signal’ is possibly the most soulful, wistful track on that album, and so is probably quite an appropriate successor. It’s warm, enveloping melodies in combination with some of Tor’s most lightly crooned, graceful vocals, and a throat and heart shredding climax, makes the track’s existential focus hit you straight in the chest. It’s certainly not a track that gets the mosh pit going, but it receives one of the loudest and most enthusiastic applauses of the night. Rightly so too, I was genuinely in awe of just how much she was prepared to bare her soul in the name of entertainment.

The rest of the main set saw Tor effortlessly alternating between serene and energetic vibes in a way that feels very natural. The jump-up beats and huge chorus of ‘balance is gone’ sends the crowd into a frenzy, and all-time fan favourite ‘Hippy Elite’ is a serious high point too, as this wonderfully humorous takedown of tree hugging sanctimonious environmental activists is again, like many other tracks tonight, given a newly tuneful shine, in addition to its banging beats and wonky keyboards. The decision to have the bass track purposefully recorded on a broken bass definitely adds tons to its loveable homespun vibe. I would also like to add at this point that Tor, though understandably ditching the full suit, was still bounding around the stage like a kangaroo even a good 50 or so minutes into the gig, and her delivery very rarely falters. The first of the melodic tracks in this final burst was ‘Saboteur Forcefield’, a track whose woozy, electronic minimalism and dark, sarcastic humour made it a real standout on record, and I’m happy to report those same appeals apply here. Perhaps I could argue that with it being as minimal as it is, it maybe would’ve slotted in better in the first half, but it’s still a highly likable track that creates a very entrancing vibe. The only real lull in the whole set, except maybe ‘Roundabout Sadness’ (although that’s arguable) comes with ‘Emergency Telephone’ track ‘Right Behind You.’ In my original review of the EP, I commented that this track is certainly pleasant while it’s on, but for me doesn’t have the staying power, catchiness or really the oomph of many others. The reception of this one kind of affirmed my beliefs: again, the performance wasn’t bad by any means, and it was decent while it was on, but it felt like one of the slightly milder applauses of the evening, and lends to my opinion that it’s probably one of the milder tracks in the grand scheme of her discography. That EP’s title track would’ve definitely been a better choice in my opinion.

As we near the end of the evening, Tor uses a slight break in proceedings to properly address the crowd, and express her deep gratitude for their support. Normally, if most other acts said this, perhaps the cynics would read them as slightly empty platitudes, but given Tor’s stark honesty in conjunction with her minimal stage setup and the intimacy of the venue, the rapturous applause and loud whoops she receives seems to hold a bit more weight. The whole night seemed to have a real gang spirit about it, Billy and her mates if you will, and this just cemented that. She also took the time to make comment on her then recent Craig Charles session appearance, stating jokingly that while she loves 6 Music, she was surprised we support her so much if “I’m apparently such a shit singer”, something that was met with appropriately loud boos, and in my opinion based on her performance wasn’t even a very factual observation. It was a funny comment at the time, and seemed like Tor was tackling pretentious indie fans’ vocal dislike of her very head on, which was very honourable, although given the recent Glastonbury controversy where it got to the point of her formally requesting her performance be taken down, it now has a kind of tragic resonance about it. In any case, the final belting out of ‘Spite’, a piece of sharp edged, spiky, yet catchy glam rock from the new album felt very fitting, and had the crowd manically pogoing like it was Manchester 1976, a great way to finish. Except that wasn't entirely where things wrapped up, as after a short break and another round of hearty cheering, Tor returned to the stage for an encore, choosing first album closer 'Escape Artist' to cap off proceedings. It's maybe not as explosive as 'Spite', but that's ok. Instead what I'd say it does is typify basically all of Billy's appeal in the space of three minutes: a bouncy, 80s inspired beat, infections, minimal keyboards, and sardonic, narrated verses that shift into airy, wonderfully melodic, somewhat fragile sounding choruses, with a wistful, escapist lyrical touch. I have to say if someone asked me what Billy track to start with, this would be a strong contender. I remember Liam Howlett of The Prodigy saying that at parties there's always "that one last tune the DJ plays at the end of a night that's like a warm blanket, that puts its arm around you and says, 'It's all right - it's time to go home.'" I reckon this is Tor's equivalent. So that's what she did: took a final bow to deafening applause and cameraderic whooping, and left me to go home feeling exhilarated, sweaty, and absolutely buzzing. 

Excuse the pun but she was quite literally a Tor-de-force that night. Her energy was utterly relentless, never faltering once, as she delivered killer chorus after killer chorus, upon unique, infectious, danceable beats, and delivering performances with a level of earnesty and passion that was absolutely flooring. Sure I preferred a few tracks to others, but none were bad by any stretch of the imagination, and her ability to command a crowd of 1000 people with nothing but a microphone, a cymbal and some backing tracks is something of a marvel. It's probably the best introduction you could possibly get to her stuff. Simply put, due to just how brilliant this performance was, I believe I can honestly make the statement that Billy Nomates is one of the most compelling performers in all of modern music right now.