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!

Desperate Journalist: The Garage, London

It’s been a week since Desperate Journalist packed the Garage in North London. We’re still reeling! Make no mistakes, Desperate Journalist are the real deal, they know it, that audience knew it, now, the world must too.

When you have a pop anthem like ‘Why Are You So Boring?’ in your locker, you save it for the climatic end right? Bollocks to that, they blasted it out second and sent London’s eyeliner massive into a frenzy. How do you follow that? With a soul crushing performance of ‘Jonatan’, that’s how.

On this Wolf Alice meets The Cult track, front woman Jo Bevan details the loss of a close friend. Bevan’s style has always been from pure and raw but, the courage she summons to deliver this heartfelt ode is breath taking. As she repeats ‘Jonatan’ at the songs close, Bevan transcends music. It’s so powerful, and so honest, this packed crowd is grieving as one.

Their recent singles ‘Cedars’ and ‘Satellite’ have seen guitarist Rob Hardy shine as bright as Bevan on record. There is a buzz in-between the support acts about this. Just how good are his solos going to be? Their escapist qualities were undeniable but, they highlighted just how much of gang Desperate Journalist are. There was no trundling through both songs to let Hardy take the limelight. If anything, on ‘Cedars’ he wielded his power with a humbleness that made Bevan look even more iconic.

Sometimes, after a great show (and this was), you are left wondering, where do a band go from here? Should they just bow out in a glorious fashion? For Desperate Journalist, even three albums in, this felt like a beginning. Only bigger and greater things are going to come their way.