On a cold, dark, dank, wet, windy, woeful, worthless, soulless October day, a crowd of about 80 eager fans cram themselves into Southampton's premium venue, the Joiners. Some there just to out the rain, and there some to see their mates' bands, but mainly the crowd are here to see Southampton's finest indie-poppers, Mr Tom. The band have just finished their first major headline tour of the UK, and this is to be their homecoming show. Mr Tom are to be supported by How's Harry- another upcoming indie band, and Eagle and Weeks- a local hiphop band.
The crowd eagerly settle down, as the first band set themselves up. Eagle and Weeks take hardly any time to get ready, as they consist solely of a vocalist wielding an acoustic guitar, and a percussionist who drums a magic box. Eagle and Weeks are no newcomers to the Joiners, as they supported Jaws here in February. In between songs, Dan Eagle, the frontman, exchanges amusing 'banter' between one of his drunken friends in the crowd. The crowd are eager to point out that since the band last played the Joiners, Eagle's eyebrows have been taken, or lost, or gotten rid of in some odd manner. The blue lights dim, and the band begin their set, with a song about an ex-girlfriend, a theme prominent in their work. "This next one's about someone else who pissed us off, who might as well of just Pissed in our Tea", as they break into Pissed in our Tea. Eagle's soulful, yet fast paced vocals are a thing of beauty, and you can't help but think the band are going to make it some day. Eagle and Weeks' next song, they announce, is to be a Black Sabbath cover. "Is it Paranoid?" their drunken comrade exclaims, shortly before the band break into a brilliant rendition of early-Sabbath classic; Paranoid. The set goes on, and the band look confident yet have an element of control over the crowd. As the set nears a close, Sam Weeks gives the crowd a Push Pulk-style drum solo, before the final track commences; it's an Ed Sheeran cover, which fits Eagle's vocal style perfectly. The set closer draws to an ecstatic conclusion, and Weeks even falls sideways of his drumbox mid-frenzy. Eagle and Weeks pack up and join the crowd to watch the next band on; How's Harry.
How's Harry were a much more colourful affair, their music veering towards the indie end of the musical spectrum. How's Harry were another making a return to the Joiners, in the aftermath of the release of their debut EP; The Letter. How's Harry's set was ablaze with songs from the EP, as they almost outperformed Mr Tom with their Mumm-Ra meets early Maccabees style. Almost half the crowd appeared to be there just for How's Harry's set, and their vibrant riffs sent to the rain clouds packing their bags. As the young band made their way through their set, the lifeless crowd almost got moving, with the female population of the room appeared to congregate around lead singer, Ike Foulkes' ankles. When How's Harry reached the end of a well polished set they received a round of applause double the volume of Eagle and Weeks'. How's Harry are definitely one for the future.
Finally, it was time for Southampton's finest to take to the stage, for a triumphant end to their UK tour. Although looking weary, the triumph of the band outweighed the exhaustion, as they set up a vast number of effects pedals. They opened with a track from the newly released King and Queen EP, which sounded much greater in a live environment than on record. Between songs the band jokingly exchanged light-hearted conversation with the audience. The bassist, "Donny B", was wearing a hat which was subject to lots of feedback, not all positive, from the audience. The next song they played that stood out was Hook, Line and Sinker, the standout song on King and Queen. It sounded vibrant yet visceral, and the crowd loved every second. The next song was one that the band had added to the set just for this show, because it hadn't been practiced since Mr Tom's early days. Despite this, it was another faultless indie 'banger' pop anthem. The closer was King and Queen, which the crowd knew all the words to, and it made for quite the spectacle. Mr Tom, playing their first Joiners show since their support slot for San Cisco this summer, pushed all the right buttons as the crowd finally was teeming with the life it should have had from the beginning.
As the four local lads packed their gear up, in the knowledge they'd won the Joiners over, they announced they'd be supporting Natives there in three weeks, and I for one could tell that it was a must see, as Mr Tom are a fantastic young band, whose only way is up. Watch that space.
Rating: 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment