The show bill called Memorials “The UK’s finest psych Prog Folk Electronic Duo”. Any of those identifiers is accurate, but so are all of them. Hailing from Canterbury, there is certainly a nod to that town’s glorious Prog past, but with so much more on top. The idea of “Soft Machine meets Stereolab” isn’t inaccurate; it’s just reductive. It was Memorials third time at Tubby’s this year, and at least half the room was people who had been at one or both of the previous shows. That should tell you something.
Their new record, “All Clouds Bring Not Rain,” is beautiful and filled with strong songs and what sounds like a million instances of studio trickery layered on top. Going in, I was curious how they would manage all of those overdubs and effects live with just two people. After seeing and hearing it happen, I’m honestly still not sure how they pulled it off. Verity and Matthew each seemed to be doing 3 peoples jobs up there.
The set started with a short Winged Wheel Duo set of Will and Cory, who were eventually joined by Memorials. I’ve included their intro jam as track one, but things really heated up the second Bell Miner began, and the crowd was treated to Verity’s commanding vocals and Matthew playing one of the best-sounding snare drums I’ve heard all year.
As a Duo, they created such a tremendous amount of sound that it was difficult, on occasion, to tell what was live and what was sampled. The marriage of electronics and sampled material, with the raw emotion they exhibited on stage was really breathtaking. It seems impossible that something as intimate and vulnerable as “Wildly Remote” can exist side by side with the Motrik psych of “Dropped Down the Well,” but it does, and, like I said, I’m honestly still not sure how they pull it off.
I recorded this from the regular spot by the soundboard with the MK22’s and a stellar board feed from FOH engineer Kyle, who had the room sounding great all night. Memorials have a few more US dates left before heading home from some UK dates. Don’t miss them!
Download and stream from the Live Music Archive!
Memorials
2026-09-06
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY
Source: Scheops MK22 > KCY > PFA + SDB > SD MixPre 3 > SD (24/48) > Adobe Audition/Izotope 9 > Audacity Flac (lvl8) > Mp3Tag
Thanks to Tubby’s FOH engineer, Kyle, for the board patch!
Recorded and produced by kliked for nyctaper.com
- Memorial Wing Jam*
- Bell Miner
- Cut It Like A Diamond
- Wildly Remote
- I Can’t See A Rainbow
- In The Weeds
- Cut Glass Hammer
- Acceptable Experience
- Reimagined River
- Lemon Trees
- Mediocre Demon
- Dropped Down the Well
- Life Could Be A Cloud
- Holy Invisible
- with Will and Cory from Winged Wheel
Support this excellent artist!
https://memorialsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/all-clouds-bring-not-rain
Support the venues bringing you interesting music!
https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar
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