Where else on this earth are you going to see a band made up of members from Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets? I’ll tell you where….Exeter Cavern!
We were invited along to catch a Los Angeles trio called MINI MANSIONS ply their trade, read on to see how we got on.
As people slowly started to filter into the Cavern in Exeter, the support act, SONS OF RAPHAEL took to the stage. Accompanying them onstage was a cassette player which they used as their backing track, helping to fill the Cavern with their unique blend of magical music that captivated from the moment they kicked off. I was blown away by their music and felt I had been transported to another world. The two brothers, Ronnel and Loral from London, have truly created something special and I was intrigued as to how unique their sound is.
Having read a few reviews, I think The Sunday Times summed up their sound perfectly by saying “Beach Boys-like vocals, Pink Floydian portentousness, choral harmonies, brass, woodwind and fairground organ is a statement of intent…”
I caught up with Ronnel and Loral after the show and they were super humble and seemed genuinely excited about their music.
Mini Mansions clambered on stage, greeted by a wave of screams from loyal Westcountry fans. The whole room lifted as they kicked off their set. It was clear to see the links between Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner and Queens of the Stone Age as their set progressed.
The Californian band started off with Tyler Parkford singing behind his keyboard before Michael Shuman took over. It was quite exciting to hear new music from the band as they played their latest offering “Bad Things (That Make You Feel Good)” and although their later music would appear to be cut from a different cloth, the audience didn’t seem to be phased and lapped it up like a good fan should.
