Gig Review: Truthpaste At The Lexington

Truthpaste is forever. Unless you’re Simon Cowell. Or maybe if you’re Simon Cowell? Their Lexington gig is a testament to their brilliance and unique charm that establishes a clear identity. 

It is a compliment when you get a band that looks like they have the chemistry of a Dungeons and Dragons group these days and that is the energy that Truthpaste bring to the table; rivalling the likes of Man/Woman/Chainsaw in a band that have that effortless friendship and connection built into their core ethos. The five multi-instrumentalists are incredibly talented and have the natural chemistry that bands five albums deep struggle to muster – thanks in no small part due to their origins as a close-knit group from Manchester; let alone an outfit that has just put out their own EP.

For fans of modern Black Country, New Road, they embrace their weirdness and wear their heart on their sleeve. It’s electric from the off – a cover of ‘Milkshake’ gets the crowd energised and we launch into a slot of what is essentially their entire catalogue. ‘See You Around’, ‘Friendship is the Truth’, it moves and groves with speed of a band who aren’t just running through the motions but look like they want to be there. They can craft storytelling with intimacy, capturing a real vulnerability that maximises computerised drums with layered instruments. 

It’s evident that this band all brings their own genre inspirations – they’re all from different backgrounds – to the table that only allows for their unique feel to just grow and grow. Esme Herbert (saxophone, lead vocals), Eaun McNeill (bass/guitar/vocals), Theo Murchie (guitar/vocals/drum machine), Claire Sun (violin/vocals) and James Ballaro (synth/lapsteel/guitar) all showcase their range and depth of width as an outfit. On lesser bands that would lead to a disorganised chaos that just collapses instantly. Not so with Truthpaste – you feel the genuine joy resonating throughout the room; and that’s reflected when the audience joins in for a singalong – “yadda yadda ya” for ‘See You Around’, which such a clean mix of chorus and set lyrics that feels like it just builds and builds with a sense of real feverish excitement that matches its rickety groove.  

Deployed early-ish in the set, ‘Bus Song’ is a wonder and goes down a storm – Euan McNeill sings, asking the audience to “show you how it is / could tell you what it means to live / maybe we could have some kids” but the wiser; more experienced and world-weary character voiced by Esmé Herbert joins in “I Know exactly how it is / And you can’t tell me what it means,” but also relents – “But maybe we could have some kids” in an effortlessly charming verse that leaves its heart on the table. It skewers on the edge of emotional electronic pop at times; playful and paradoxical but with a sense of purpose and is the kind of song where the vocals lay the feelings bare; raw vulnerability pulsating through and feeling incredibly alive. 

‘Friendship is the Truth’ is a song that emphasizes the bands’ core ideals as an outfit. The chamber pop melodies are complex and touching, and “Taking the time to know you, you make me scream but that’s OK,” emphasises the fact that we might not always get on well with our friends; sometimes they’ll make you so mad, but deep down they are your friends and you don’t let them forget it. “Maybe I’m delirious, I don’t know”, the band sing effortlessly in unison throughout their set – the vocalists working in completely synchronised harmony with no room for mistake.

Part of the charm of Truthpaste is their Simon Cowell lore that they bring with them to most places they go and that is worked into the set in a playful way that sets up their unpretentious charm – they’re very much grounded in the DIY scene and do not present themselves as above it – which helps them form a shared connection with the crowd. Their silliness is the appeal – it’s what helps them feel so utterly unique. Even their dislike of Cowell and the X-Factor based churn that feels against everything Truthpaste stand for is almost something of a mocking sense of love and affection – it’s hard not to just fall utterly under their spell from the second that they get on stage. 

The band have a packed out following already; at Outer Town Bristol they were one of the three headliners alongside TTSSFU, and Honeyglaze, and packed out their room so that the queues went a long way outside the building. They’re due to play twice at tastemaker festival The Great Escape later in May – One Church and Horatios – and the demand is there enough to sell out the Lexington so it’s absolutely heaving long before we got in the room. If you haven’t seen them yet – what are you missing out on?