The perfect setting to the end of Freshers Week. iLiKETRAiNS release their debut album ‘Elegies to Lessons Learnt’ on Monday. This follows their critically acclaimed 2006 EP ‘Progress – Reform’. I’ve never seen the Charlotte so derelict, it was really strange.

Support band Her Name is Calla are a Leicester band, and one of the most interesting I’ve seen. Their opening track sounded like a swarm of bats descending down upon you (literally – on track ‘Condor and the River’ the trombone player starts playing harmonica and then it becomes more distorted as he screams down a microphone) It’s hardly hardcore music though, more like slowcore. They have a similar sound to that of iLiKETRAiNS, although a lot more melodic. There have been reviews that iLiKETRAiNS are like Sigur Ros if they gave History lessons, and lyrically it’s pretty dry and dark stuff – the new songs reference the bubonic plague, which is on par with Fresher’s Flu to be honest. I guess the one good thing about finishing uni is that you’ll never have the annual illness again. Rejoice!

I’m unsure about iLiKETRAiNS. Live they are pretty interesting, but every song I’ve heard by them has the same formula; starts off slow and builds up into some kind of dark monotone opus. It is rewarding if you give it time, and in the mood. It’s not remotely cheerful. Which is why I found “Progress/Reform” a bit painful to sit through. Live though; it’s a different experience.

Here is an iLiKETRAiNS song called ‘The Deception’, taken from ‘Elegies to Lessons Learnt’.

The Deception