Going Down Camden Town, Our Jack checks out No Cash Refunds’ intimate affair.
Guildford based self-proclaimed ‘Laptop Musician’ No Cash Refunds sat alongside Guitarist Toby Ewen as they concocted some kind of contemporary swoon – dripping with confidence and moving weightlessly. Level with the audience as they performed on the bar floor, there were times the set merged with the audience. With no barriers connections can be made easier and there is certainly a charismatic warmth that reflects from NCR.
Though possessing a seriously modern sound there’s some absurd shade of Sinatra in his mannerisms and movements. A performance on the calmer side, an intimate and toned down set fitting for a Sunday Mid-Afternoon charity event. This minimalism enabled an easier and deeper connection with the art, personified in his stripped back rendition of Bubblegum Gf, dialling back the drums in favour of Ewen’s guitar playing and what I’d risk to call an Urban Folk sound.
Their cover of Oasis’ Supersonic is worth a special mention. Simply put, that is how you cover a song. Behind that unique character and those twisting vocals there is that song you recognise but this is it being built upon.
NCR looks at home as he performs, lounging and shifting effortlessly from space to space. Camden is held in a funny light nowadays, it’s an area a lot of musicians actively work to get recognition in but from first glance NCR just fit right in.
Keep up to date with No Cash Refunds and don’t forget to catch him live at From The Common. thebuzz@acm.ac.uk
