The Bracknall: 229, London

London outfit The Bracknall played their last, and biggest, gig of the year at 229 this past Saturday. The sold-out gig capped off a year which saw their second album chart at .., support slots with The Ks and The Enemy, and a debut big top slot at the Isle of Wight Festival.

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image credit: This Is Gary

Breakout year? On paper, yes. At the 229, the reality felt more akin to the festive seasons' lean into nostalgia. They had the aura of a huge band playing a smaller venue as a rare treat for their fans. Nothing about this night said a new band was making their way. Every song is rapturously sung back at the band, with the band name being bellowed out between songs

‘Good to the Bone’ was the personification of this. Frontman Jack Dacey’s vocals, boisterous but pure, carried a weight of emotion that spilt over in the crowd. Arms aloft, grown men in tears, hugging, singing, dancing, hell, one couple got engaged during it. This year may have been dominated by rock ‘n’ roll's past, but its present and future were right here. Euphoric escapism oozed from their guitars with the kind of guts and glory that leaves dirt in your fingernails and scars on the soul.

The second album, arguably a masterpiece in waiting, bathed the set in a glow of aching power. ‘Ain’t It Shame’ rose like a ready-made anthem, transforming heartbreak into collective release. ‘Get Better’ tapped into something wilder and more primal, sending the room spinning with energy, and it’s key change, oof! It drops with the ecstatic rush of a rave classic, it washes through the crowd like a lifetime’s worth of joy compressed into a single, breathless moment.

Every verse and chorus hit with the force of a triumphant return, welcomed like prodigal sons stepping back into the light. The crowd hurled their fists into the air, banishing their demons as the room ignited with a unity not witnessed since The Enemy. Brutal, beautiful, and utterly human, this was the resurrection of rock ’n’ roll. Once dormant, now blazing, its pulse thundered through the night with undeniable life.

Image credit: This Is Gary

Pulp: The 02 Arena (Friday), London

Just over a week ago, we witnessed Pulp’s return to London as they played a sold-out 02 Arena. With no support, the Sheffield icons played two sets. Could they pull it off, or would it stray into the self-indulgence of Springsteen?

*image credit: Indie Cult Club

Backed by an orchestra and a stunning set display, they launch in their new album with ‘Spike Island’, ‘Grown Ups’, and ‘Slow Jam’ to remind the twenty thousand in attendance that this is not a nostalgia fest.

Despite the disco-enthused prowess of Spike Island and later in the set, the lush orchestrated pop of Tina, it’s hard to escape the power of their past. ‘Sorted For E’s and Whiz’, ‘Acryllic Afternoons’, and ‘F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D’ prove yet again that counter-culture and indie can offer moments of alternative euphoria still.

Cocker, playful throughout the show, revisited the darker times of ‘This Is Hardcore’. Twenty-seven years after its release, The Fear echoed through the arena. Once a raw reflection of personal trauma, now a towering anthem forged from the wreckage of heavy drug use and its fallout.

On, ‘Disco 2000’, the band and crowd marched back into their triumphant 1996. It was an ecstatic release of joy the set never got close to again. Wave upon wave of blissful emotion soared as Pulp reminded everyone that once, the freaks, geeks, and outsiders once ruled the charts.

Indulgent? No. Missing a support act? Yes. However, Pulp was right; we did, and do, want more!

The Crooks: 100 Club, London

The last time The Crooks were in London at The Water Rats, there was a reconnection and reaffirmation between the band and fans alike. What was lost, was found. This time around, the conundrum was trickier. It was prove yourself time!

*banner image credit: Rhona Murphy

‘Dreaming Out Loud’ and ‘Champagne & Caviar’ opened proceedings but, for anyone at the triumphant Water Rats gig, not as they hoped. The energy in the room was flat. Had the desperation for fans to prove themselves to a band evaporated?

No. The room was in awe!

Image Credit: Rhona Murphy

Quiet, jaws down, and eyes bulging the sold-out crowd looked on at a band that had gone to a new place in their time away. More melodic, intense and tighter than before, The Crooks unfurled a stream of rock ‘n’ roll that’s begging to connect with big crowds.

The latest single, ‘Carry On,’ gave their set a different dimension. Slower and more psychedelic, it allowed their guitars to spiral and fall with the freedom usually reserved for a band three albums deep. It allowed frontman Jacko to distil a gritty yet angelic clarity.

Most bands would kill to close on ‘In The Meantime’. Its euphoric football crowd quality bellowed out from Jacko and back again from the fans as one. The Crooks, however, signal time three songs out with Better Days and In Time preceding. Epic drama-fueled anthems which light up the 100 Club like it’s a stadium.

Festival season is upon The Crooks with Isle of Wight, Godney Gathering, and Y Not coming up. Three gigs to change the world? Maybe. Three gigs t change their status from underground to main stage? Definitely.

Rolla – The Dome, London

Manchester’s Rolla celebrated the release of their new EP ‘We Owe You Nothing’ supporting their home city peers Pastel at The Dome in London.

*Banner image credit: Gary Walker

Image credit: Gary Walker

Rolla’s appeal is an immediate one. Visceral explosions of sound have come easy to them. In 2023, they released their debut EP ‘Nothing Less Than Everything’, and they broadened their sonic universe to include the work The Verve, Stone Roses and BRMC. On record, it gave them a counterpoint to their archetypal snarling sound.

At The Dome, both sides of their arsenal came of age. The likes of ‘We Owe You Nothing’ and ‘What Kid’ retained their intensity, but their dabbling in more sonic exploration has allowed them to provide space for everything land. What was once a good right hook has become a flurry of heavyweight punches. Violent basslines, crushing drums, and psychedelic licks came the London crowd in a joyously brutal wave of destruction.  

On the EP, ‘A Beautiful Lie’ is a welcomed break from the chaotic storm they create elsewhere. On stage, it becomes another animal—an intricate and delicate psychedelic exploration mixed with angelic lullaby moments that hold crowds in awe.

Every time Rolla goes away, they come back with better songs. This time was no different, except live, where the progress is so vast it’s almost unimaginable. Pastel has opened the door for bands that thrive on all-or-nothing tropes; Rolla is the next through the door, and the world is infinitely better for it.

Pastel: The Dome, London

Manchester’s Pastel finished their UK tour at London’s Dome in Tuffnel Park last Saturday. It’s their first tour since their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Souls In Motion’ was released.

*Banner image credit: Gary Walker

Last time headlining in London at the Garage, the band crossed over. A magical performance blessed with a spellbinding psyche that enticed a crowd into a unifying moment of escapism.

Image credit: Gary Walker

With the album not charting as well as they might have hoped, could they cope with the pressure? Could the band do it again?

Form is temporary. Class is permanent.

In the past, their gigs have been a display of talent—of a band with the songs and attitude to define a generation. Pastel is now toying with its crowd like master performers. The adrenaline rush of ‘Gone Too Fast’ is dipped into the Verve-eseque soul of ‘Leave A Light On’.

From then on, everything was beguiling, seemingly slight of hand as the Mancunians ascended to their throne as the band of the moment. The atmosphere hit a fever pitch amidst lysergic fog emanating from James Yates and Joe Anderson’s guitars. The guttural anthemia of ‘Heroes Blood’ and the rolling majesty ‘Deeper Than Holy’ spiral into the sweet release of ‘Isaiah’. It lands the band in a realm of glory, of a world where bands don’t have to serve up wet-fisted indie and half-baked Arctic Monkeys lyrics. In Pastel Land, bands are great, and they strive for more!

‘Souls In Motion’ may not have graced the heights of the album charts it deserved, but the people know. They have spoken. Loudly, in numbers, and with arms aloft, they ushered in their new heroes.

Image credit: Gary Walker

Suede: Ally Pally, London

Last Thursday, Suede headlined the Ally Pally Outdoor Summer Season with fellow icons Manic Street Preachers in support.

Suede’s second incarnation band has been the blueprint for returning or older bands. They’ve walked the tightrope of nostalgia and creative output with aplomb, culminating in 2023’s classic ‘Autofiction’, a brutally personal dissection of Brett Anderson’s grief for his mother. The prose of the romantics was twisted into Ian Curtis’ poetic nihilism, giving their day dot fans something new to clutch to their hearts.

With such raw pain barely in the rearview mirror, they set out on tour with fellow lifers, the Manic Street Preachers, with most expecting a more relaxed greatest hits approach. On paper, they were right.

In reality, Suede’s huge (sort of) homecoming was a piece of intense performance art. Yes, it relied heavily on the past for content, but it was delivered with artistic credulity; no one was left uttering the dreaded B word.   

Osman’s throbbing bass on the opener ‘Turn Off Your Brain and Yell’ lit fire to a set that burned uncontrollably for large parts. Anderson, resplendent in his mournful-cum-disco-chic black, strode the stage like an actor stepping up to Hamlet. Steely-eyed, soft of heart, and defiant in spirit, as he decreed, “come on now and reveal yourself, and I’ll bend to you”, the vast crowd responded in kind.

The bulk of the set felt like two great sides of vinyl. Sex, drugs, and rock n roll fuelling a fire of flamboyance and righteousness. Both sides are bookended by pin-drop moments that will live forever in the hearts and minds of all who drew breath to witness. The grandiose ‘Still Life’ made its tour debut to bookend the first half of the set. As the moon drifted across the skyline, the eye was drawn to the greed of the city and then closer to London’s endless flats. Just how many were “there by the window” waiting? Wrapping up the second half was an acoustic version of ‘The Wild Ones’. Anderson and Richard Oakes stepped back at points, allowing the crowd to become a congregation rejoicing in a hymnal unison.

From the old to the new, Suede proved the adage that if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Whether it’s shaking the snake-like hips to the glam roar of ‘Metal Mickey’ and ‘Trash’ or immersing himself in the bitter, venomous love of ‘The Only Way I Can Love You’, Anderson is a work of art. Backing him up is lead guitarist Oakes. His rock ‘n’ roll hedonism on Beautiful Ones and ‘New Generation’ would have stolen the stole in any other band. As a unit, they attack the potency of Anderson’s lyrics with the snarl and tenderness they deserve.

Nine years on from the release of ‘Bloodsports’, Suede have proved that musical journeys are worth traversing. From humble beginnings to 2023’s career-defining album, the people have been willing to follow and on that night at Ally Pally, Suede gave them something to follow for another generation.

The Crooks: The Water Rats, London

Chesterfield’s The Crooks headlined The Water Rats for This Feeling this past Saturday. Copy we originally had penned in 2020. Four years on from the crushing despair of that tour cancellation hadn't caused a lack of interest, but it had caused trepidation.

*banner image credit: Charlie_green19 - Courtesy of the band.

In 2020, the buzz for the cancelled tour was off the scale. There was a clear sense of glory awaiting the band as, single after single, amassed legions of fans. In the build-up to Saturday, a lot of what-ifs lingered. What if their time had passed? What if the band and fans were not as one anymore?

We needn’t have worried.

The electrifying opening of ‘What You Know’ and ‘Silhouette Sunshine’ was a pulsating moment of release. The band are still us, we’re still them! Their time apart clearly left its mark, as there is a real sense of now or never. Rock ‘n’ roll needs this desperation to thrive, and the Water Rats faithfully needed it more.

On ‘In Time’, the band make the intimate room feel like Knebworth. Modders’ guitars on ‘In Time’ howled into the night like warning sirens of hope. Frontman Jacko, stepping off the gas to allow a cuter DMAs-esque vocal to offset the colossal-sized guitars to shine, confirmed that all “what ifs” can get in the bin.

Wave upon wave of euphoric emotion is packed in the set. ‘Nevermind spirals towards pure ecstasy, while ‘She Walks Alone’ took you into the emotional trenches and spat you out with King-sized belief in humanity again.

On ‘Better Days’, the band breathes, leaving Jacko to do something utterly magical. His vocals were blessed with the infectiousness of Tommy O’Dell (DMAs), the raw power of Tom Clarke (The Enemy), and Noel’s ability to make simple melodic twists sound like messages from God. This stripped-back moment was a moment for the lost. For rock n roll fans fed up with overpaying for the old guard to half arsing the past. This was about now! As he decreed, “We need to find our way again”, a collective sigh of relief oozed through the air. Being in the moment for something youthful, a spirit that wanted (and will) change the world, was spine-tingling.

You spend a lifetime waiting for bands to pull it all together, to have the look, the melody, the politics. Only when it appears in front of you do you realise that you allowed pretenders to take the throne in the intervening years. The Crooks are the real deal. They allow you to pour your dreams, heartache, and regrets into their chest out of a sense of working-class glory. This gig will be etched into the minds of all who were there. Triumphant, yes, but this felt like the beginning, not a crowning moment.

Pastel: The Garage, London

Having sold out the Camden Assembly last October, Manchester’s Pastel were back in the capital to play to a packed crowd at The Garage.

Image Credit: Matthew Eynon. Courtesy of Spirit of Spike Island.

At the Assembly (Barfly), their latest single, ‘Your Day’, whilst good, was jarring. Its urgency countered their more blissed-out fan favourites. To great effect, this purposeful spirit was doubled down on at the garage—the former single opened proceedings with an aggressive front-foot mindset, which they rarely deviated from.  

With the intensity levels pulsating, the latest single, ‘Dancing On A Pin, ‘S.O.H.O,’ and previously unheard tracks fired out quickly. Breath only was taken when frontman Jack Yates asked us “to fund his haircut.” It was a masterclass in substance over style, allowing little time to comprehend what was happening—dizzying, mystical genius!

As the band led the room to the precipice, the release of ‘Isaiah’ was a divine moment, but it was ‘Deeper Than Holy’ that truly ignited the crowd. The song, previously well-received at Islington Town Hall and the Camden Assembly, took on a new life on this night, transcending the stage. The crowd arms aloft and wide, bellowed for it with an unhinged willingness to prove what it meant. Powerful, soul-freeing energy was released into a psychedelic haze of smoke and red lights as the band, and fans became unified in their shared experience.  

Pastel have now crossed over. The world is theirs. Their howling guitars the warning sirens for the world, get your shit together; systemic cultural change is nigh!

Dodgy: Islington Academy, London

Last Friday, the veteran Dodgy played their 1996 album ‘Free Peace Sweet’ in full at the sold-out Islington Academy in London.

*images courtesy Stephen Fothergill.

What was their highest charting album of the time was to be their last for sixteen years (excluding ‘Real Estate,’ which frontman Nigel Clark did not feature). Despite the success of the album and singles alike, the band split in acrimonious fashion, not reforming until 2008.

What caused ructions around then has dissipated now. They easily recapture the youthful energy of ‘Trust In Time’ and ‘You’ve Gotta Look Up’. The former’s La’s jagged edges chime joyously with Clark and drummer Andry Priest’s sumptuous harmonies. Harmonies which truly take flight and soar on ‘You’ve Gotta Look Up’.

Despite the nostalgic joy that ‘Good Enough’ brings, it was, and is, former singles ‘In A Room’ and ‘If You’re Thinking of Me’ that lit up the album and this gig alike. ‘In A Room’ swayed with an ease that, rightly or wrongly, a generation of bands and media has tried to recapture. The poignancy of ‘If You’re Thinking of Me’ burrows straight to the heartstrings with its touching sentiment. Both catch fire creatively via Andy Miller’s guitar. The solo on ‘In A Room’ takes on a warped Stephen Stills number with intoxicating results. Whereas his blasts on ‘IYTOM@ tap into the majesty of Roger McGuinn's lysergic energy and Gene Clark’s jaw-dropping melancholy.

Cutting through West Coast and Laurel Canyon melodies was ‘U.K. R.I.P.’ cutting through their West Coast melodies with the hints of Transglobal Underground, trip-hop, and the Levellers’ trippier moments. Originally an anti-Britpop triumphalism rhetoric, it now takes on darker tones in a post-Brexit, post-Johnson, and post-Truss Britain.

Twenty-seven years on, Dodgy and ‘Free Peace Sweet’ still have something to say sonically and spiritually. Here’s to another twenty-seven.

Ecko: The Elephants Head, London

Last Sunday, Ayr’s Ecko made their live debut in London at Camden’s Elephant’s Head, supporting Bless.

*image credit A Deeper Groove

To date, Ecko have built a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the UK but, not really beyond the confines of the Shiiine On Weekender. A free gig in a pub with unexpecting punters and tourists posed pitfalls we’d not witnessed them experience. For the few Shiiine On faithful in attendance, it built a pre-gig tension. What if it was just the magic of the Shiiine On Weekender carrying them?

Step forward, the boys from Ecko!

Batting away the security guard who checked their ID with grace and humour and adorning killer casual clobber, the future of rock ‘n’ roll was here to allay all fears.

The heads of unexpecting punters in the pub craned like the Regan McNeil with increasing frequency throughout their set. The hooks, vocals, and solos were as good as we’d all remembered from their two Weekenders.

Many, if not all, fledgeling bands flock to Camden as a rite of passage. It becomes a “thing” for them, attaching the history of the mercurial road to their insignificant futures. Ecko, however, are the kid at school you always wanted to be. Cooler and smarter, they roll out of town like Johnny Strabler, leaving everyone in their wake reeling.

Camden has gained another great origin story.

Rosellas: The Star, London

Last Friday, Manchester’s Rosellas filled the intimate venue of The Star in London as part of their tour with This Feeling.

*banner image courtesy of the band.

It follows the recent release of their new single, ‘Is It Any Wonder?’ which showed signs of a breakthrough as the sold-out crowd visibly grew in voice for their new melodic offering. In its protracted intro, the little touches of John Martyn’s masterpiece ‘Small Hours’ took the melodic tumble and soar gem to another level.

Tempering this newfound gentler sonic was an array of jaw-dropping psychedelic adventures. ‘Before the Storm’ swelled with the indie anxieties of Doves’ debut and Nick McCabe's explorative introspection before erupting into a modern-day Aphrodite’s Child.

‘Come Alive’ echoed with rock music’s mysticism. Spaced out and seeking something bigger than themselves, they sought meaning through life’s struggles with a tangible purity in the room. Drew Selby and Euan Mail’s guitars, powered by ‘A Storm in Heaven,’ drifted in the mire until a modern-day Andy Bell solo erupted with psychedelic clarity to transcend souls.

The band's growing stature, the songs, and the crowd just went on and on. Rosellas creatively looked like a collective, spiritually hedonistic gang built on togetherness. The songs, lifted to colossal in places (Switch Off), stripped to DMA’s magic in others (The Same Curse), seemingly at the will of this astonishing prospect of a band. The sold-out crowd filtered up the tight stairwell, giddy to smugness, knowing they were treated to something truly special before huge stages came the band's way.

Sea Power: Islington Assembly, London

Last week, national treasures Sea Power rolled back the clock to 2009 to play ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ in full at London’s Islington Assembly. Back then, it was their highest charting album (no.10) and would remain so until February 2022’s ‘Everything Was Forever’.

Click the image to buy the anniversary reissue edition.

While the element of surprise is lost from the setlist, their ability to drop jaws is not. ‘Down On The Ground’ swelled with the grandeur of the Last Night of the Proms, whilst ‘All In It Now’ kicked off like a euphoric battle cry from Game of Thrones.

Examining DYLRM without packaging up ‘Lights Out for Darker Skies’, ‘No Lucifer’, and ‘Waving Flags’ is impossible. Once ‘All In It Now’ ushers you in, the album explodes into life and life; it feels almost gladiatorial. The former creates sparks with every lick until Martin Noble’s guitars scorch the earth in the closing stages. ‘No Lucifer’, with the adopted terrace chant (from wrestling icon Big Daddy), still carries a fire and depth to match anything from the cannon of Arcade Fire, a band which Sea Power was unfairly denigrated against in the 00s. On ‘Waving Flags’, Sea Power reminds us to fight fire with fire. The 00s were awash with anti-immigration, but a grown-up approach was taken under Blair and Brown. Cameron’s wretched part adopted nasty campaign tactics and opened the door to the hard right, whose sphincter still twitches with too much ferocity in the debate. Noble’s guitars kiss greatness here, but it’s the power of the lyrics that transcend. The welcoming message to those who have held up our economy and public services amid rapid decline is a stark reminder that rock ‘n’ roll could and should fight the good fight!

‘The Great Skua’, in many ways, is the blueprint to their success post-2009 and is delivered to a stunned silence. After twenty-one years, the crashing orchestration allows a pause for thought about this remarkable band. The rise and falls conjure such mesmerising drama, only topped by the choral crescendo. This ebbs into ‘Atom’ like a gentle tide before running amok like their peers, The Maccabees and The Rifles, but with the majesty of Bowie and the carnival mayhem of Arcade Fire and Polyphonic Spree.

‘Do You Like Rock Music’, we wager, is not many of Sea Power’s fans favourite. Part of their charm has always been the wayward disruption of ‘Remember Me’ or, increasingly, the washed-out joy of a ‘Two Fingers’ or ‘Bad Bohemian’ in its wake. It is, however, an album that all fans love and the adulation in the room was tangible. It serves as a reminder that indie rock ‘n’ roll can be mainstream and not about lager. Wild but intelligent, boisterous yet elegant. This set of juxtapositions is met rapturously and tenderly. Happy birthday old friend!

Marseille: The Water Rats, London

Last week, Derby’s Marseille headlined a sold-out Water Rats in London, and we were there to check it out. It was almost a year since their London debut at The Slaughtered Lamb; the contrast couldn’t have been starker. In 2022, they were part of a line-up which, at best, could be described as ill-thought-out. Most had come to see a piece of performance art by a student dressed as a spaceman whose guitars were on hip-height glitter-covered stands. It was an odd precursor to Marseille’s incredible debut (full review here).

*banner image courtesy of Nima Chappell

Image courtesy of Mark Chappell

Fast forward to the Water Rats and Marseille were supported by the songsmiths Mansfields and Maze, who delivered a superb hazy rock n roll set. This felt proper. The anticipation for Marseille was palpable in the room. The EP and single releases had whipped up a tangible buzz. For TT, it was a chance to see if Marseille could deliver another night of heady guitar-driven rock n roll.

They could!

Vast proof of this came from the reaction to three new tracks from their upcoming new EP.  ‘Monkey In The Middle’ and ‘She Can Fly’ followed one another in the set with devastating effect. A split-second pause of silence followed both. The sheer disbelief of a room in total awe of raw potential emerging on stage. The former swirled with the hysteria and fever that called time on all who headlined the stages they had their sights on. ‘She Can Fly’ was blessed with the shoegaze power and celestial beauty of Nick McCabe and Andy Bell, whose frontman Will Brown lets rip a vocal howl sent from the devil. The other new song, ' If It Hurts, Don’t Cry’, leans into Noel Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft’s timeless songwriting with sweeping euphoria.

Image courtesy of Nima Chappell.

Whilst Marseille have a great groove-laden rhythm section and a charismatic frontman, this gig belonged to lead guitarist Joe Labrum. A young man so unassuming of the spotlight has otherworldly powers on his Gibson Les Paul that you cannot help be drawn to him. The closing stages of ‘If It Hurts, Don’t Cry’ were utterly spellbinding. His majesty made the intimate Water Rats feel like Knebworth with John Squire and Noel Gallagher smashing Champagne Supernova into another galaxy. On 'former single ‘This Dream of Mine’ he injects Squire’s paisley era of the Roses with punks urgency, aided by the incredible Reni-esque fluidity of Tom Spray on drums.

Marseille closed the set with their early jingle-jangle classic ‘State of Mind’. The elegance of Labrum’s riff looping alongside Brown’s angelic vocal was the touching full stop this set deserved. Brown gracefully bowed out early to allow the band to meander to a lysergic close with the artistic integrity of Bobby Gillespie. There is nothing this band cannot do!

Go see them do it!

Pastel: Camden Assembly, London

“Chase the feeling, I believe in”

Last night, Manchester’s Pastel took to London for the first time as headliners at the Camden Assembly (formerly the Barfly). The last time we caught them was supporting label mates Afflecks Palace at the Islington Town Hall (full review here). They blew their peers off the stage that night. Could they handle the pressure as top dogs?

Pastel shone through a haze of smoke and early Verve-esque jams a year ago. Frontman James Yates had that beautiful Ashcroft and Gillespie quality of knowing when to stay out of the way and let their trips take hold. This beauty remained, but Jack Yates emerged as a frontman to be reckoned with. A confidence oozed through his performance, humour through his patter, and crucially, in those big vocal hook moments on ‘Your Day’ and ‘Deeper Than Holy’ he unleashed the power and looked iconic!

With the announcement that their new album is coming in the new year, they unleashed new material on the besotted London crowd. ‘Run It On Up’ saw Yates switch up from Ashcroft’s defiant peak on ‘Northern Soul’ to ‘Tellin’ Stories’ era Burgess. The collective snarl in the verses ebbed away into a melodic uplift blessed with euphoria and intensity. Meanwhile, ‘Sunnyside’ had tinges of The Style Council playing ‘Catching The Butterfly’ with Liam on vocals. Influences that consume most bands were folded into their brand of bugged-out Four Horseman meets Nick McCabe psyche with mesmeric ease.

‘Isaiah’ and ‘Escape’ slide into the sold-out crowd’s elusive dreams and forgotten schemes with their blissful spirals and kaleidoscopic imagery. A sea of arms out wide greet the mystical Blake-esque poetry of ‘Isaiah’. On ‘Escape’, the bellowing power of Joe Anderson’s guitars begins to transcend music as hope descends from on high to the hearts and minds of this adoring audience.

Pressure? What pressure? Pastel looked at home as headliners. The only thing out of place was the size of the venue. Witnessing a band on the cusp of greatness in a 200-capacity venue was a privilege. It will surely be the last time for a long time.

Misty Miller live @ Oslo, London

There are few finer feelings in life than witnessing a support band steal the show. Misty Miller, accompanied by her band, did just that.

Miller’s performance was one well beyond her years. The wryness and humour in her smirks and movements were joyous. If you are OCD and demand to know the meanings behind songs then she is not for you. On ‘Happy’, her delivery is so ambiguous you’ll wonder if this is Shakespearean tragedy or a huge sardonic piss take.

‘Best Friend’ however, leaves no margin for interpretation. The despair of losing someone close is relatable for all and, Miller embeds so much emotion in every word it transcends almost everything.

Miller’s vocals on ‘Best Friend’ are astonishing, they stray from the punk fragility of Poly Styrene on ‘Germ Free Adolescents’ to the Patti Smith’s powerful ‘People Have The Power’ and leave a packed crowd stunned.

 Miller is on tour in April in support of her debut album, neither should be missed!