Hockeysmith at Corsica Studios

Entering the stage at Corsica Studios, the Cornwall sisters could easily pass for any of the girls on the street outside the smoky club. Taking their sisterhood into the music, Annie and Georgie Hockeysmith’s looks are nothing out of the ordinary, but the concept of their band feels new and surprisingly refreshing. We have seen a lot of sisters in recent music, in bands such as Haim and First Aid Kit, but with these siblings’ unique sound they have found their niche.

Hockeysmith’s music is an interesting mix of analogue and digital. While one of the sisters takes the lead of the filtered vocals as well as of the wheels of the sound deck, the other swaps between electric and acoustic guitar. Together they create a sound sometimes reminiscent of The XX with their simplicity and special rhythms, while they have the guitar distortion from rock that weaves together with shoegazey vocals, floating out into electronic beats and effects. This works fine in the recorded material where the production helps the different levels in the songs. When playing live, the vocal does not reach out properly, and the voice sounds bleak and weak instead of dreamy. The all-over sound picture is sometimes not clear, and the different elements that on record marry a great sound at times feel incoherent.

Hockeysmith are very ambitious with their sound and their influences, and the cool light show helps to make them look like they are something special. But, without a strong leading vocal and the sometimes messy production, the performance is not convincing. Kudos for the way they own the stage and the ambitious sound world that they create, but some more work may be needed. These sisters could go big if they play their cards right.

Johanna Eliasson
Photo: Abi Dainton

For further information and future events visit Hockeysmith’s website here.

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