Photo: Nicholas O'Donnell
The Heavy Heavy isn’t the first outfit from the U.K. to present as American. In fact, 61 years since the British Invasion, it’s not shocking to hear lead singers who sound like they’re straight out of Nashville or the Hollywood Hills introduce their next song with a Cockney accent, mirroring a character from your favo(u)rite BBC comedy.
Launched by Malvern, England-based twin vocalists, keyboardist Georgie Fuller and guitarist William Turner, The Heavy Heavy sounds like its music was spawned on a sunny patch of U.S. soil. The band’s female/male dynamic arrives unfettered by production or songwriting trappings, bereft of the advances to emerge in the last five decades.
Anachronistic in its big, bold harmonies, the band’s tracks like “Happiness” climb to heights scaled previously in the late ’60s or early ’70s. And true or not, even the instruments reverberate with the must and wear of vintage originating in last-century manufacturing spots like Fullerton, California, or Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Fuller and Turner nurture their big songs to full bloom with the assistance of a drummer, second guitarist, and bassist—and when the latter two join in on backing vocals the results are hard to tell apart from their recordings. Four-part harmonies land in the crowd with the same finesse applied to labored vocal tracking in an expensive recording studio.
Arrangements are smart, songs don’t overstay their welcome, and choruses carry a singalong invitation that extends as less anthemic than just openly friendly. If there’s any complaint for such a well-delivered set by clearly dependable musicians, it’s that the lyrics hold little in the way of unique observations and reach no new ground; words are often chosen because they rhyme, which listeners will see coming from miles away.
Openers Laney Jones and the Spirits bring an indie folk-rock honesty that will either speak to your soul or agitate your sense of expression, depending on your tolerance for raw, heartfelt trios. Check out “We Belong Together”—its left-turn marching chorus, and Jones’ emotive gist should help you decide whether to arrive early or take your time getting downtown.
