UK psychedelic rock outfit TOY stormed through Beijing as a part of their China tour last week – dreamy detachment, hypnotic rhythms, a very palatable pop sensibility, and gorgeous locks of thick hair – yes, the band were in their element. However, while it was indeed a treat to be exposed to the Brighton boys, I mainly came to Yugong Yishan to check out what Hedgehog have been up to. The band, one of the leading figures of the indie rock scene for well over a decade, have been pretty quiet since they 2014 release Phantom Pop Star (there was a 2015 b-sides release that doesn’t really count in my book) – only playing festival lineups or the rare one year show. And frankly it shows – their live act hasn’t shown much muster in some time and it sounded at times like the band skipped soundcheck altogether. Nevertheless, ‘on record Hedgehog’ I still have vast faith in, and from the sound of it, I thoroughly believe the band is going to have another winner on their hand with their next LP. Really love the direction their new songs were heading into. So yeah, that’s something to look forward to.
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