The gig opened with Vincent’s Last Summer – a band from Manchester who's lead singer said they take inspiration from the 2000s indie sleaze movement – namely LCD Soundsystem and Calvin Harris. Despite only having been touring for a year, the band were insanely charismatic and put together, weaving skits into the set, with lots of movement on stage. The crowd, as well as me, enjoyed their set a lot. The indie sleaze influence was apparent, yet the band made it their own with unique and powerful vocals. Keep your eye on this band.
Next was Polly Money, an indie pop artist with a dreamy and whimsical vocal style. The set was laid back with crowd interaction between songs. The standout for me was her newest single 'Milk and Honey', a summery, car-windows-down pop song. Polly described playing in small venues as 'nostalgic' and that she believes it is important to keep smaller venues going. Whilst I don’t often listen to this genre of music, I was entertained by her set and so was the crowd – which was full of fans wearing her merch.
The headliners Welly made an energetic entrance and opened with 'It’s Not Like This in France'. The band wore primary school themed outfits – a pinafore, a backwards running vest, and a school tie. Welly has a consistent creative direction, and the set was filled with comedic bits and hilarious crowd interaction. The crowd, myself included, was energetic, dancing and singing back to the band, particularly during 'Shopping' and 'Soak up the Culture', a song about gap years. I was intrigued by Welly’s vocal style, which he said is inspired by spoken word, BBC news reports, and conversations you would hear walking down the street. The set closed with an energetic rendition of 'Me and Your Mates', and then the band then returned for an encore, reperforming 'Soak up the Culture' at the crowd's request.
Overall, I was entertained from start to finish by this gig, even if the bands played genres I wouldn’t normally seek out, which is the joy of live music. Curated by Dork Magazine, this tour successfully brought three very different artists together to unite a crowd. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on all these artists in the future, and so should you!