States Of Emotion in large, played to a packed audience of loyal hometown followers from Essex at the Underworld. It’s a poignant moment for the band, their debut album has finally been released and based on this showing, they are set to far outrun their roots in terms of fans.
They open with the defiant ‘I Broke The Mould’ and the intimate venue suddenly feels like a big academy venue. It’s clear to see why Huw Stevens and John Kennedy are championing this single.
Defiance is key to States Of Emotion as a band and this gig. Crowd favourites ‘The Way That I’m Wired’ and ‘The Unsung’ are thrill seeking and recalcitrant to the core. They also offer a sense of ambition which, many profess but few deliver in the indie world.
Amid the anthems comes a resounding gear change with ‘Rag n Bone Men’. This diversion combines a more desolate electronic sound with some more familiar psyche guitar parts. A tough sell amongst fine indie bangers but, from the moment frontman Olly Hookings laments his former label Rinse FM, a sense of anticipation is in the air. The slow building number hits a heavenly crescendo and the audience are eating out the palm of his hands.
The desire to make this succeed is bursting from States Of Emotion so much during this gig it seems almost impossible not to imagine bigger venues awaiting them in the future.