Minor Victories at Village Underground, gig review: 'Something completely new'

Intrigue around this indie supergroup has been building since they teased a formation several months ago

Minor Victories (Press image)

Imagining the nightmare it must be to get members of three already-established, active bands together, it’s impressive that the members of Minor Victories are all onstage at Village Underground at once.

Intrigue around this indie supergroup has been building since they teased a formation several months ago; now Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, Editors’ Justin Lockey, his brother James Lockey of Hand Held Cine Club, and Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, are finally performing live.

"Give Up The Ghost" – the opener for the album and this writer’s favourite track – is played a couple of songs into the set; Goswell’s breathy vocals floating over percussion before those heavy guitar lines set in.

The Lockey brothers’ vibrant energy is the perfect balance to Goswell’s cool, calm presence – Justin bounds around the stage while Braithwaite rips out a solo you imagine he must have been sitting on since the release of Mogwai’s latest album Atomic.

Considering it’s the band’s first show there are surprisingly few hiccups – Goswell calls for a restart on “A Hundred Ropes” (“I fucked up”), perhaps caught by the unusual beat, but the audience seems more than happy to hear that ominous, Daft Punk-esque intro a second time.

James Graham of Twilight Sad arrives onstage for a live version of “Scattered Ashes”, a buoyant, shoegazey song filled with perfect harmonies, ahead of closer “Higher Hopes” that soars into an epic, crashing finish.

What’s wonderful about Minor Victories is that they don't really sound anything like Editors, Mogwai or Slow Dive. The talent each member brings to this band is the same they contribute elsewhere, but the material is something completely new and very exciting.