Rolling Stone Magazine recently compared 4 piece Welsh band Estrons’ sound to ‘being time travelled back to 1995 on tour with Elastica’; whilst there are undeniably some sonic comparisons with elements of 90s indie rock and pop, infused with influences of The Breeders, Souxsie and the Banshees et al’; Estrons have their own sound and aura. The likes of Elastica were not for me; I adore Estrons.
This was a rapturous homecoming gig in Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach on Saturday night. The band have an infectious energy on stage and by the second song of the set, ‘I’m Not Your Girl’, the packed crowd at Clwb were duly warmed from the arctic weather outside and whipped into a frenzy. A sound featuring strong, punchy, saturated bass and guitar tones from Steffan Pringle and Rhodri Daniel, driving drum beats from Toby Bang and with sometimes sexualized, often bold lyrics, impeccably delivered by lead singer and front woman Tali’ Kallstrom. Kallstrom is developing into an outstanding live performer, oozing infectious energy – she has a strong stage presence, a tunefulness and primal vibrancy to her craft never matched by the likes of Elastica in yesteryear. Every ‘Oh’ was delivered with an orgasmic intensity; when she screams ‘I’d like to make a man out of you’, some may have felt intimidated – many may longed for that to become a reality. The gig climaxed with raucous performances of ‘Cold Wash’ and ‘Drop’, the audience frothing and the band driving them on with a spot of crowd surfing from Kallstrom. Estrons have gone to another level.
Estrons are continuing to snowball and gain momentum since Adam Walton first aired ‘My turn’ on BBC Radio Wales and from being championed by Bethan Elfyn and ‘BBC Introducing’; this is richly deserved as they’re a hard working band who’ve honed their craft from copious live performances including headlining the BBC introducing stage, a feat shared with Florence and the Machine, Jake Bugg, The Rizzle Kicks and Ed Sheeran to name but a few. They have also achieved the enviable recognition by featuring on Rolling Stone magazine’s recommended playlist. Each time I’ve seen Estrons, they’ve got better (They were already very, very good): intense, passionate, exciting, primal with Kallstrom oozing sexuality, they are possibly the premier band to watch coming out of the very rich waters of the Welsh live music scene right now.