Masked head to neck in tartan with some other pieces of thread scantily clad upon them, Lynks headlined the DIY ‘Now and Next’ Tour at Stereo last night, 25 February.
The main support for this tour is VLURE, a Scottish post-punk electro-rave inspired band and what a band to warm the crowd up.
Stereo’s basement rattled with heavy vocals in a heavy Scottish accent, loud music and pits galore. Very quickly, the sold-out venue fell into an adrenaline fused trance. VLURE’s stage presence was so intense the crowd followed any and all orders commanded.
After around only half an hour of electric chaos, they left the stage having earned a room full of new fans.
Finally, Lynks bounced on stage with their three-member dance troupe. After the insane set by VLURE, escalating the energy seemed an impossible fate.
However, Lynks managed to get the crowd even crazier. If anyone could follow an act like that, it’s Lynks.
Whilst their short discography solely consists of fan favourites, Lynks somehow managed to choose the best of the best to play in their set.
Everybody’s Hot (and I’m Not) and BBB were among their first tracks, and the crowd boogied gloriously. Dancing turned to moshing, which Lynks described as, “the campest mosh pit I’ve ever seen”. To clarify, they loved it and they encouraged the crowd to keep going.
Lynks also played their cover of Pedestrian at Best by Courtney Barnett. It’s one of their most streamed tracks and should be a benchmark for any and all covers. Keeping the integrity of the original whilst putting on your own stamp is exactly how you make a cover great and that is exactly what Lynks has done. After performing it on live stream during lockdown, they received a great reception from their fans so the singer decided to pop it on their E.P called Smash Hits, Vol. 2.
Lynks treated us to several new tracks, namely CPR and Sex With Strangers. Partially due to the fainting bit, CPR went down phenomenally well. Similar to Sex With Strangers, it was dancable and catchy. It was easy to pick up the choruses, and they had everyone chanting along ‘til the end. Sex With Strangers seemed to especially resonate with the crowd.
Whilst singing about their queer experiences to a queer crowd, Lynks confessed how much they loved the atmosphere their music helps create. Rest assured, Lynks, the crowd love it just as much.
Queer quirkiness is integral to this performers musical identity. Born out of drag and originally named after Lynx Africa deodorant, camp frankness is inherent to their storytelling and stage presenece. The crowd adore it; I mean, why else would they listen to a song called How to Make a Béchamel Sauce in 10 Steps (With Pictures)?
Lynks is a trailblazer in their unique and self-reflecting genre. Electronic-dance, techno-rave, and art-pop-punk gay rap are just some of the terms that may define them. Ultimately, Lynks are unique.
We will definitely see even more of them as their fanbase grows. Talent like this is un-hidable and Lynks will surely grow to unfathomable heights.
Feature Image Credit: Alex Paterson
