Øyafestivalen: English Teacher Review

From a Mercury Prize to opening for Yard Act at Leeds Millenium Square, the rise and rise of English Teacher is rightly deserved. Missing out on their homecoming powerhouse performance because boxes do not unpack themselves, the only choice was to fly out to Oslo and experience the band live. Records can only contain so much and their debut album, This Could Be Texas, has seemingly been lost in the move. No matter. Plant yourself in the field, the sun sticking around to beat down on the ground as English Teacher takes the stage. Make no mistake, this sort of rise is a real test for a band as talented as this – and the likes of Lily Fontaine are made of a unique lead material so few have. Just give her and the band a viewing at their live shows and feel the thrills and spills of a contemporary masterclass come to life. 

There is no escaping the context of which opener The World’s Biggest Paving Slab now holds. A rallying cry against foul rioting and racist disgust back home makes its way to an audience out of the loop. But for those who stuck around for PJ Harvey on the first day of the festival, the context remains, and it turns defiant tracks into reminders of the great divide and ongoing rush of problems. English Teacher plays through the context of the times – as any great band should. Broken Biscuits and Not Everyone Gets to Go to Space mark powerful listens, and their album-like qualities are lifted and land well on the stage. A small stage but a big enough crowd, their qualities still burning bright.  

The Oya crowd is up for it too – and well-energised after watching Alvvays. English Teacher is a fantastic act, a classy collaboration of people who have lived the experiences of these songs. Not Everyone Gets to Go to Space still has a Glory Days from Pulp feel to it – played just the night before on the headline slot of the main stage. It stands as a better comparison on the album but still the justification for idleness in the face of exploration and achievement is understood. English Teacher develops this with later tracks in their set like This Could Be Texas or the straight-shooting heartbreaks of I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying. Whatever we experience is what forms us and English Teacher keep on pushing. 

Challenge those who find themselves bubble-wrapped and out of harm’s way. They do not see or engage in the real world, the troubles around them fly by without much care, and it is this disappointment in themselves which causes all the trouble. English Teacher has a tight grasp on the spills and thrills. They conduct themselves with a quality and class usually reserved for veterans of the stage – but like Leeds-based counterparts Yard Act – have an undisturbed class. Catch them while you can, while this bright spark and sheen of new music is still at hand. It will not be long before English Teacher is washed away on a wave of bigger performances – at this intimate level it is hard for them to put a foot wrong.