Hurts

British synth pop duo Hurts has been rising fiercely since their debut album that came out last year. They are one of those mysterious entities that everyone is talking about even though they haven’t really done much yet. Hurts has managed to get the mainstream attention that some other synth pop acts have been running after for decades. What can be heard and seen on the Happiness –album leads to pretty high expectations. Fortunately Hurts knows how to deliver and those expectations are met.

The charisma of singer Theo Hutchcraft is as fine as it gets on a smaller venue. At this point it’s hard to imagine this duo playing on a stadium or festival though I would be delighted to see how they manage to grow to their full extent.

The contrast that their chaste style and discreet sophistication combined to their grand and powerful sounds creates is outstanding. Pop music as an art form has returned to the world and Hurts are leading the way. They have a resemblance to Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys but their songs are way too intelligent to be written off as rehashes of vintage pop. They present a new side of romantic melodrama that makes chills run through your spine and leaves you with a strange desire to cry.

They’re interesting, that’s the thing. Hurts is offering exactly what’s missing from today’s mainstream music; something fresh, powerful and brilliant. The acts of today usually only achieve one of these three qualities; fresh, powerful OR brilliant. They have a gift of challenging the listener and make one discover new sides of one as a music listener. I will be following this band intently and am very much looking forward to seeing which direction they will grow to.

Setlist:

Unspoken

Silver Lining

Wonderful Life

Happiness

Blood, Tears & Gold

Evelyn

Sunday

Verona

Devotion

Confide In Me

Stay

Illuminated

Better Than Love