With the release of their eponymous 2013 debut, Cheatahs found themselves compared to 90s luminaries Dinosaur Jr and the Boo Radleys and associated with the emergent nu-gaze scene. But last year’s Sunne EP gave the first hints that the quartet might have struck on a new, otherworldly sound and the title track provides a salient start to their 60-minute set.
Jangly guitars and hushed vocals – so low in the mix that they turn into a blur – create a disorientating dreaminess that turns urgent on Murasaki, a Japanese-versed song that draws on their literary and global influences.
Formed in London but hailing from four nations – Canada, the US, Germany and England – the band unite for the psychedelic wall of sound at the heart of latest album, Mythologies. Bassist Dean Reid and lead guitarist James Wignall share keyboard duties and join with guitarist Nathan Hewitt to provide lush harmonies on Channel View. But although drummer Marc Raue spares little passion as he dives into each driving rhythm, his bandmates remain tightly controlled through each sprawling song. Synchronised head-nodding is as showmanlike as Cheatahs get.
When the music’s as clever and majestic as the melodic swirl of Seven Sisters and splintering rock of The Swan, however, there’s no need for much else. Pop gold runs through every melody and even the ragged squeaks and shrieks of guitar that usher in the aggressive, prog-tinged Su-Pra can’t disguise Cheatahs stadium ambitions. They’ve certainly got the talent but they’re not quite ready for bigger stages yet, and a too-long wait for an encore sees a sparser crowd treated to the cascading tides of Signs for Lorelei. It’s “a song about a German mermaid”, Hewitt explains in a rare display of stage patter – but the band depart having left the labels firmly behind.
