Even before The K’s take the stage, there is a distinctive buzz in the air. There always is before a K’s show, but tonight, as they gear up to play the 3000 capacity-Roundhouse, it feels more electric, more expectant – just a year ago, they were playing venues half the size. Since then, the Earlestown-based band have built up a devoted fanbase: a motley crew of people old and young, drawn together by the raw magnetism of one of the UK’s most exciting up-and-coming bands.
A euphoric roar erupts the second the band stride on stage, bathed in a wash of magenta light, as they launch into the newly released ‘Gravestone’. Despite the rapturous welcome, the crowd takes a few songs to truly come alive. ‘Icarus’, with its cinematic string arrangement, provides an early moment of reflection. While newcomers watch in awe, longtime fans glance around, stunned by the scale of the venue. It’s a quiet reminder of how far the band have come.
Between songs, they oscillate between disbelief and elation, clearly just as overwhelmed as their audience.
When ‘Chancer’ kicks in, something clicks, and chaos breaks out. Mosh pits erupt, bodies surge, and wild, ceaseless, euphoric jumping begins. ‘Heart on My Sleeve’ ramps the energy even higher, its rapid-fire tempo a shot of adrenaline. But it’s the follow-up, the heartbreakingly honest ‘Hoping Maybe’, that hushes the crowd.
From there, the band are in full control. Between songs, they oscillate between disbelief and elation, clearly just as overwhelmed as their audience. The moment feels even more poignant because many of the songs in tonight’s set (‘Glass Towns’, ‘Circles’, ‘Picture’, and so on) are the same ones they were playing years ago in sweatbox venues to a tenth of the crowd. For the same reason, ‘Throw It All Away’, a heartfelt track about the dark side of fame, is all the more touching.
When they play ‘Aurora’, they introduce it by saying, “this one’s a really old one, so you might not know it”. But much to the band’s surprise, the crowd do, and not only do they know it, but they sing it back word for word.
People climb on shoulders, arms are flailing, and shoes slip and slide on the beer-drenched floor.
The bigger venue also means a bigger production. Light-up rods surround the stage, glowing and shifting through brilliant hues of orange, blue, and pink, each colour synched to the tempo of the music.
By the time the band reach the wistful ‘Helen, Oh I’, the now-familiar chants for ‘Dacton and Wanderella’ have begun, echoing in each rare moment of silence. While it may not be the band’s favourite, it is certainly the fans’, so much so that cries of “Dacton! Dacton! Dacton!” have become staples at K’s shows. But the band don’t indulge the crowd immediately, instead charging into ‘Sarajevo’, a fan favourite in its own right, sparking another frenzy of movement. People climb on shoulders, arms are flailing, and shoes slip and slide on the beer-drenched floor.
As a parting gift, they finally deliver ‘Dacton’, to deafening cheers. A brilliantly written tragic track about a doomed young couple, it proves that this band can both put on a show for the ages, but also write a first-rate song.
It’s a fun evening, but also an emotional one. Watching The K’s step so confidently into this next chapter without forgetting the songs or the fans that got them here feels like witnessing something truly special.
To anyone not paying close attention, The K’s might seem like they’ve come out of nowhere. A few years ago, the Earlestown four-piece were playing sticky pub basements to a couple of hundred people. Now, they’re playing the main stages of festivals, and last year, their debut album, I Wonder If the World Knows?, hit #3 on the Official Album Charts and had the second biggest debut album of 2024. But despite their seemingly meteoric rise, the band have slowly built up a devoted fanbase throughout the years, tirelessly promoting their music and putting on shows to get their name out there. Now, they’re getting ready for the release of their second album, Pretty on the Internet, a mere year after the release of their debut.
“It feels like it was ten years ago,” chuckles guitarist Ryan Breslin, incredulously, reflecting on the release of I Wonder If the World Knows?. “We kind of knew that album two was coming. I think you’ve got kind of, like, come back with the second album pretty quick to keep people sort of excited.”
“We’re not catering for one specific sort of generation or a sort of crowd”
Ryan Breslin, the k’s
So, last year, when the band received a phone call the day before Christmas asking them to have album two done by February, the pressure was on – not only to write and record an album in a month but also to overcome the curse of the “difficult” second album. “For the first album, we were turning them songs for, like, seven years, so we knew which people liked and what the crowds’ reactions were. So we kind of got feedback and changed bits and sort of ‘hand-selected’ the album,” Ryan explains. But the process of writing Pretty on the Internet was completely different. “With this one, it was kind of: you’ve got a couple of months, you’re touring, and now here’s your second album, pull it together.”
Now, soon to be armed with a second album, the band are gearing up to play these songs live up and down the country, including headline shows at London’s 3000-capacity Roundhouse and O2 Academies in Leeds, Birmingham, and Bristol – venues double the size of those they were playing this time last year. “We honest to God can’t wait,” Ryan beams. “We always think that people are coming from away; people are coming out on nights and leaving their family at home or whatever, spending their own money on it, coming to watch our gigs. So we always, like, want them to walk away feeling that they’ve got something worthwhile [out of it] and everyone’s had the best time they can.”
“We learn so much stagecraft doing little intimate gigs, how to bounce off each other”
And if there’s one thing The K’s know how to do (aside from pulling an album together in a month), it’s putting on a live show for the ages. In fact, it’s through this word of mouth about their live shows that The K’s are partly to thank for their recent rise to fame. “I think our strong suit is playing live, and I think the songs back it up,” Ryan reflects, with a chuckle, before adding, “My grandma still comes to shows. We’re not catering for one specific sort of generation or a sort of crowd. We’re staying true to ourselves and just doing what we believe is good, and people seem to like it!”
But as incredible as The K’s are live, they wouldn’t have made it without the independent grassroots venues that gave them a platform to hone their live shows before breaking into the mainstream. Now, many of these venues are in danger of closing, and some have already closed. Rising bills and high rent, amongst other factors, are to blame. In the last 20 years, 35% of grassroots venues have shut down, and in 2023 alone, 125 venues abandoned live music, and half of these shut entirely. In fact, the first two venues The K’s played in Manchester have now closed, as has Nambucca, the venue where they played one of their first London shows. “If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have done our first gig. We wouldn’t be playing The Roundhouse now,” Ryan acknowledges.
“I think it builds your character as an individual and as a musician, and you get your stagecraft,” Ryan reflects. “We learn so much stagecraft doing little intimate gigs, how to bounce off each other. Things go wrong: your amp will blow up, but you improvise, and I think it just sort of preps you for the bigger stages and doing the business on them.”
And if all goes to plan, these bigger stages are only the beginning for The K’s. But no matter what kind of success the boys achieve, Ryan is determined to stay the same as he’s always been. “I think my mum and dad would still beat the shit out of me if I said I’d made it,” he grins. “We had a working-class area and council estate sort of childhood. I don’t see how I could change who I am, and I think the lads are exactly the same because it’s just who we are. And I think that’s why we have such a close connection with the crowd because we don’t look at it as if we’re a band on stage.” At the end of their shows, The K’s are known for taking pictures with fans, signing autographs, and perhaps even going for a drink or two with them.
However, the bigger they’ve become, the more they’ve had to change to fulfil the role of professional musicians and not just four friends in a band. Music and shows aside, this also sometimes means going for a walk or run or eating healthier in between shows. “We’re kind of looking after ourselves and just being cautious,” Ryan notes before continuing, “I don’t want to sound a bit cringy, but I think the fact we’re together really helps. If someone falls down, you just kind of pick them up, and everyone sticks together as one big team.”
With Pretty on the Internet on the horizon and their biggest headline tour to date just around the corner, The K’s are showing no signs of slowing down. They’ve built something rare: a loyal fanbase, a reputation for electrifying live shows, and a refusal to compromise who they are, no matter how big their venues get. “I think that’s just sort of our mentality: to aim for the top and see what happens. So that’s where we’re going,” Ryan says with a grin. And if the past year is anything to go by, the world won’t just know The K’s, but they’ll be showing up to their shows and singing every word back to them.
Packed tightly into SWX like a can of sardines, the room is swelteringly hot and the excitement is palpable as lively chatter ripples throughout the audience. Following an invigorating, sax-infused warm up by Silvertwin, the crowd are desperate for The Lathums to make their anticipated on-stage appearance.
From the moment they step on stage, Wigan-born The Lathums have the audience wrapped around their little fingers. They are effortlessly cool in simple, dark-toned outfits, whilst a plain backdrop consisting of their logo puts the band at the forefront.
Beginning with the new album Matter Does Not Define’s first single ‘No Direction’, lead singer and frontman Alex Moore’s hearty vocals take centre stage. Moore cheerfully greets the audience with a “Good evening, party people!” and a party it indeed was.
Fun, fast-paced, and anthemic, the new song ‘Heartbreaker’ is a jaunty number that has the crowd boogying, whilst ‘Leave No Stone Unturned’ has the audience enraptured from the start. Despite coming from their new album, the audience’s dedication to chanting every lyric gives the impression that these new tunes are decades-old fan favourites.
Whether old or young, the crowd is ear-drum-shatteringly loud
Alongside the newer songs, the Madness-esque ‘I See Your Ghost’ from their debut album How Beautiful Life Can Be brings a heavier, rockier beat. It’s very drum-driven, whilst an epic, powerful guitar solo by Scott Concepcion has the crowd mesmerised. During ‘Fight On’, the audience belts out the lyrics “So fight on / My little bird / Oh I’m running jumping flying / Gunning faster fighting / Faster than the world” like a power chant. Accompanied by bright flashing lights, it’s notably heavier than the studio version, bringing an edge to The Lathums, which is not always identifiable when listening at home.
Everything about their performance is loud, from Moore’s roaring vocals to the thumping drums and intense bass and guitar. The Lathums’ powerful sound could easily fill bigger venues, but watching them perform in the SWX creates such a strong connection with the band and the audience which would be inimitable in a larger space.
Whilst very few audience members sport Lathums clobber, the band seem to have cultivated a small army of dedicated fans spanning all ages. Whether old or young, the crowd is ear-drum-shatteringly loud both in their singing and the riotous applause which follows every song.
Some gentle, acoustic songs provide essential respite from these energetic tunes. Moore performs ‘Unrequited Love’ and ‘All My Life’ sans-band, accompanied solely by his acoustic guitar. Gigantic glistening disco balls hang elegantly from the ceiling, bathing the audience in twinkling lights. Despite standing on a sticky floor in the heart of Bristol, listeners are instantly transported to an otherworldly haven of tranquillity. These slower numbers display Moore’s raw, powerful voice in its full glory, and despite the thousand-odd other people in the audience, the performance feels as intimate as having him sing in your living room.
The Lathums have perfected the live show
In ‘All My Life’, Moore leads the crowd in singing the chorus acapella. This spine-tingling moment of human connection exemplifies The Lathums’ ability to bring people together through music.
What is most striking is how continuously humble Moore is throughout the night. A jovial ‘thank you very very much’ follows numerous songs, and Moore addresses the audience to thank everyone for coming along and singing and dancing. With lots of discussions regarding the lack of opportunities for working-class musicians today, working-class The Lathums seem eternally grateful for their success and deeply appreciative of the support from their fans.
As the lights dim, a stampede of deafening, anticipatory stomps and claps proliferate as everyone is desperate for the band to return to the stage for a final few songs.
Beginning the encore with ‘Long Shadows’, Moore’s voice is raw and grungy, whilst Ryan Durrans’ pulsating drums and the atmospheric purple lighting emphasise the song’s moody edge. In a vulnerable Instagram post last week, the band shared that they previously felt unsure about playing ‘Long Shadows’ live because of its emotion and raw energy, which they weren’t sure they could capture on stage. They needn’t have worried – ‘Long Shadows’ is the perfect encore song to draw the audience back in and showcase the vulnerability which is so prevalent throughout The Lathums’ discography.
‘Sad Face Baby’ closes the night, bringing the final wave of spritely, upbeat energy synonymous with The Lathums’ performance tonight.
Elton John’s ‘I’m Still Standing’ blares from the speakers as the stage begins to clear, but rather than making a mad dash for the exit, most of the crowd remain in place, dancing along and chatting with friends. It’s clear everybody wants the party to keep going all night, and stepping back onto the streets of Bristol feels like a chore that nobody is quite ready for.
The Lathums have perfected the live show. With their commanding stage presence and their failsafe catalogue of upbeat indie melodies, they flawlessly execute an engaging night of fun, while slower songs offer a time for reflection and showcase their introspective, more vulnerable side.
If there’s one thing State Champs can do, it’s deliver an exemplary pop-punk show. So when the lights in Birmingham’s O2 Institute dim and a thumping, building instrumental track blasts from the speakers, the cheer that erupts from the crowd is nothing short of deafening. The members walk out one by one, waving to fans below as they take their places on stage. With a 23-song setlist to get through, there isn’t a moment to spare. The band dive straight into ‘Silver Cloud’ from their latest album, the eponymous State Champs. Already primed to mosh, dance, and jump, the crowd explodes into motion the moment the first note of ‘Silver Cloud’ rings out. It doesn’t matter that ‘Silver Cloud’ only came out a few months ago. With the reception it receives, you would be forgiven for thinking it was a long-term fan favourite.
But it’s not just the fans having the best Wednesday night of their lives – the band are, too
From then on, there’s no stopping either the band or the fans. ‘Losing Myself’ receives an equally effusive reception, and the nostalgic ‘Mine Is Gold’ beckons booming singalongs of “Your heart is black and mine is gold!” during its deliciously angsty choruses. The fast tempo of ‘Outta My Head’ from 2023’s Kings of the New Age fuels the bouncing crowd, and this is where the mosh pits truly take shape.
“We’re about to make this the best Wednesday night of your lives,” declares vocalist Derek DiScanio before launching into a medley of ‘Perfect Score’, ‘Frozen’, and ‘Fake It’. Judging by people’s ecstatic expressions, he might be right. But it’s not just the fans having the best Wednesday night of their lives – the band are, too. DiScanio, with his usual vigour, is jumping up and down from the small platform at the front of the stage, while next to him, guitarist Tyler Szalkowski and bassist Ryan Scott Graham are jumping around in circles, as if on overdrive. Behind them, Evan Ambrosio’s robust drumming ties the songs together.
The band dedicate ‘Elevated’, to the fans that had been there since day one
‘The Constant’ and its earworm of a chorus are another highlight of the show, as is the playful ‘Tight Grip’. When a band release a new album, it’s difficult to know how the songs will go down live. Tonight proves that State Champs need not worry, with fans eager to prove they love the new songs just as much as the old ones.
The band dedicate ‘Elevated’, to the fans that had been there since day one. And with every single person in the room singing along to its chorus, the moment becomes a joyous collective celebration of how far State Champs have come since.
And if fans thought the show’s first part was intense, nothing could have prepared them for the encore. During ‘Everybody but You’, a rogue shoe flies onto the stage before DiScanio hurls it back into the melee below. The mass is so engrossed that it doesn’t even matter that Neck Deep’s Ben Barlow isn’t there to perform his feature on the song. Finally, ‘Secrets’ closes off the set, and the crowd’s realisation that this is the last track wakes up anyone who might have been in a stupor, with its singsongy verses and vindictive chorus encouraging a 1500-person singalong, fans almost drowning out the band in their wake.
And with one final “But it’s too late for me, now I’m as good as gone” rounding off ‘Secrets’, the show comes to a bittersweet end. With a wave, the band walk off on stage to the sound of Chappell Roan’s ‘HOT TO GO’. But instead of feeling upset about the show’s end, grinning faces make their way out into the chilly night. What’s more, State Champs are no strangers to the UK. Whether it be on their own headline tours, playing Slam Dunk, or opening for other acts, rest assured, the New York pop-punkers will be back tearing up UK stages before long.
In the last few years, Southampton-based band The Manatees have steadily built a reputation in the indie rock scene, selling out shows at London’s The Camden Assembly, embarking on a headline tour, and even performing on Made in Chelsea. Now, the five-piece – consisting of Jay, Tyler, Miller, Issy, and Joe – are back with a new single, ‘Without You’, a bold, urgent, and unapologetically yearning rock track filled with punchy drums, groovy vocals, and a soaring, arena-worthy chorus, all inspired by the 2010 coming-of-age drama Submarine.
“I only watched [Submarine] about a year-and-a-half ago,” lead singer Jay Harris says. “I was just absolutely fascinated with it.” The film, famously soundtracked by Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner, follows the trials and tribulations of the main character and his infatuation with his classmate. However, it was a particular line in the film that inspired Jay to write the track: “None of this will matter when I’m 38.”
“It just resonates so much ‘cause I’m such an over-worrier about things, and I kind of over-analyse everything. That was almost a motto to live by. If it’s not gonna matter next year, even tomorrow or next week, then it’s probably not something to be getting myself stressed about today,” Jay explains.
This motto inspired the rest of the song, and “none of this will matter when I’m 38” soon solidified itself as a lyric. “It was kind of a happy accident,” he chuckles, before apologising for the pun. “But it was definitely that singular line that just really struck a chord in me.”
One of my life ambitions is to release an album
Tyler, the manatees
And while The Manatees are yet to have one of their own songs soundtrack a film, this doesn’t mean they haven’t spent time putting their tracks over bits of films for fun. “I think [‘Without You’] could be used in a moment where someone has to let go of something in a kind of ‘I can’t live without you’ scenario,” guitarist Tyler says. And with the song’s verses composed of a lovestruck, borderline obsessive narrator’s musings, the song would undoubtedly fit a fair few films. “I’m in love with the idea of it, chew me up and spit me out / I would run, I would fight, I would bleed,” Jay sings, his voice raspy over rising guitars.
But ‘Without You’ is just the latest milestone in their growing list of achievements. Over the summer, they played Truck festival in a packed-out tent. “For those festivals, it’s always hard. You know there’s people there, but whether or not they’ll show up to your gig is another question,” Tyler says, reminiscing on the show.
Equally, a big moment for the band was when their music was played on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music. “The first time it happened… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replicate that feeling and that buzz,” Jay notes. “I was on the train at the time, and I’ll never forget where I was or how it felt knowing that we were going to get a spin on Radio 1.”
“If you had told me five years ago a bunch of the stuff we’ve managed to achieve so far, I would’ve probably, like, broken,” Tyler adds, also reflecting in awe.
However, the band’s future goals lie beyond this. “One of my life ambitions is to release an album,” Tyler says. “I know that sounds like kind of a low bar for a band, but I do think nowadays, there’s a lot of work that needs to be put in it.”
“You don’t know everything when you first start out, and we most certainly still don’t know everything now”
Jay, the manatees
While ‘Without You’ fits nicely into their current indie-rock sound, there are still directions the band are keen to explore. “I think we always wanted to go slightly heavier, and we have done that since our first EP,” Jay says. And while ‘Without You’ is hardly heavy metal, it certainly has a grungy grit when compared to their earlier work. Take ‘Milan’, their earliest song on Spotify, for example, which is a fun, singsongy acoustic ballad. It’s a great song, but noticeably lacks the edge of their current output.
Building on how they’ve evolved as a band, Jay adds, “I think one of the things we’ve discovered over the last couple of years is that we are a live band, and that’s when our audience can really get on board with us.” This can then translate to their studio recordings, with the band striving to make them less polished, hectic, and raw. “As if you were watching it live,” Jay explains.
Arguably, however, the band’s journey has made them who they are today. Looking back at their early days, Jay says, “I think there’d be a fair few things we could probably let our past selves know to fast-track the process,” he says, laughing. “But that’s part of the beauty of it. You don’t know everything when you first start out, and we most certainly still don’t know everything now.”
Even as they refine their sound, navigating the music industry comes with its own set of challenges. Indeed, being an artist nowadays isn’t easy. From the constant closures of small venues to the lack of funding available to many more nationwide issues, there seems to be no shortage of complications. But the two big struggles that stand out? “Money and time,” Tyler chuckles. “I think they’re the two things that everybody struggles with, no matter who you are or no matter what industry you’re in,” he continues. “I just don’t think artists are funded as much as they were like in the past, and I think that makes it really difficult to record tracks and to get in the studio, to get tracks mixed and mastered, and to do photo shoots and video shoots. It all costs money.”
On the flip side, being an artist today also has its advantages. With help from technology and the Internet, it has become much easier for anyone to make music and post it online. “I could literally record a song in my bedroom in the next five minutes and put it up on Spotify tomorrow if I really wanted to,” Jay says before reflecting. “At the same time, it means all the streaming sites are more saturated than ever, so I guess cutting through has become more difficult.”
I think there’s always a way to do things cheaply and try not to compromise your art as much as possible
Jay
But cutting through the noise isn’t the only challenge. With everyone from photographers to mix engineers to mastering engineers needing a cut of the profits, there’s “no guaranteed time to money equation,” Tyler explains. “It’s very much, ‘Well, you’re the band, you just get what’s left,’ which usually is negative.”
But The Manatees have been doing what they do for five years and making it work. “You can pull in favours; you can do things in your bedroom,” Jay elaborates. “I think there’s always a way to do things cheaply and try not to compromise your art as much as possible. It would just be nice to have unlimited budgets.”
And if they’ve been doing what they’ve been doing thus far with great success, nothing is stopping them from getting even bigger in the future. The band have an upcoming UK tour this autumn, and if their enthusiasm is anything to go by, there will be plenty of new music in the future. Some, like ‘Without You’, might be inspired by films or, as Jay teases, by Greek mythology, pop culture, and beyond. One thing is for sure, though: ‘Without You’ is just the beginning. The Manatees aren’t going anywhere – and if their trajectory continues, they won’t have to wonder if it still matters when they’re 38.
Modern life moves at a relentless pace – from the constant barrage of news headlines to the demands of daily routine, all too often, it can be overwhelming. While there’s no easy fix, Daily J’s second album, Scatterbrains, offers a temporary antidote. Drenched in the sounds of summer and nostalgia, Scatterbrains is a much-needed escape to a better time.
At its core, Scatterbrains is steeped in nostalgia. Take opener ‘Sunday Stitches’, for example. With its whistling intro, vocalist Jayden’s laid-back vocals, and a thumping bassline, it feels straight out of early 2010s radio pop, in the best possible way. The track is comfortingly familiar, but its melody and energy keep it from feeling stale. Elsewhere, ‘Go With the Flow’ leans into the same nostalgia, drawing from the likes of Cage the Elephant or Circa Waves. With a blissful chorus of “Walking on the bright side of life” and shimmering synths, it’s the sonic embodiment of a carefree summer afternoon.
This euphoria is constant throughout the album
If ‘Go With The Flow’ is reminiscent of a scorching summer day, then ‘Cheap Tequila Sunrise’ is the captures the thrill of a hazy summer night. Electrifying guitars and pulsating bass give the track a slight edge, all while Jayden’s soaring vocals ride atop a bouyant, sun-soaked arrangment. It’s a track made for festival stages, radiating pure, unadulterated bliss.
At just nine tracks, Scatterbrains never overstays its welcome, but in that short span, it whisks you away
This euphoria is constant throughout the album, whether it be in the swelling pre-choruses in ‘Daydreamer’, which erupt in a Springsteen-sized chorus or, indeed, ‘Roadie’ the album’s closer. ‘Roadie’ opens with deceptively calm acoustic guitar chords before launching into a powerhouse of an electric guitar solo that demands to be played live.
Despite its overall breezy, feel-good atmosphere, Scatterbrains remains surprisingly dynamic. The towering choruses of ‘Daydreamer’ ‘Cheap Tequila Sunrise’ contrast beautifully with the Beatles-esque dreaminess of ‘Tastes Like Forever’ or the groove of ‘For Your Leisure’.
Equally, there are also moments for introspection. The jazzy tones and saxophone solo of ‘Someone To Cry About’ make it perhaps the most mature track on the album as they wonder, “Hope there’s someone to cry about”.
At just nine tracks, Scatterbrains never overstays its welcome, but in that short span, it whisks you away, if only for a moment, to a time where life felt lighter, freer, and just a tad bit easier.
When the lights dim in Brixton’s O2 Academy, the sheer volume of the roar that ensues from the crowd is indicative of one thing and one thing only – Irish pop-rock band Inhaler are about to take the stage, and their fans are going to give them the effusive welcome they deserve. Hot on the heels of their third album, Open Wide, tonight is the first of two shows in the emblematic London venue.
Clad in leather and black denim, the band walk on stage, wasting no time before launching into ‘My Honest Face’. And while opening with one of your biggest (and best) songs is a gamble, it pays off, as it throws the crowd straight in the deep end, giving the crowd no time to warm up and launching them straight into a roaring night of fun.
When played live, these tracks regain much of the grit that characterised their first two albums
‘Eddie in the Darkness’ soon follows, and judging by the way fans react to the opening chords, it is difficult to believe that the track was released only a week before the show. Similarly, ‘A Question of You’, one of the singles off of Open Wide, receives an effusive welcome as the crowd dances and sings along to its earworm of a chorus.
Although Open Wide was characterised by its poppier production and abundance of synths, when played live, these tracks regain much of the grit that characterised their first two albums. Combined with the band’s rock-and-roll look and the power emanating from the electric guitars on stage, it’s hard to believe that Open Wide was the band’s first venture into pop.
But while ‘Eddie in the Darkness’ and ‘A Question of You’ both receive enthusiastic cheers, in contrast, the crowd’s reaction to ‘Little Things’ and ‘X-Ray’ is muted. However, ‘My King Will Be Kind’, and its mandatory singalongs of “I fucking hate that bitch” during its chorus bring the energy in the room back to a fever pitch.
The stage setup is plain throughout the show, with only a white sheet with a flower from the Open Wide album cover projected onto it. For a venue as grand as the Brixton O2 Academy, the sparse stage setup feels like a missed opportunity.
‘Cheer Up Baby’ gives the crowd a chance to release any last bits of pent-up energy
During ‘Dublin in Ecstasy’, they project an Irish flag onto the sheet behind them, raising a furore from the devoted crowd. By the time they start ‘Love Will Get You There’, fans below are a unified mass with arms flying and swaying from side to side during its toe-tapping choruses. ‘Still Young’, with its Springsteen-esque ambition, works beautifully live and raises the question of why the band doesn’t write bigger, more anthemic songs more often. ‘Still Young’ then flows beautifully into the groovy danceability of ‘Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)’, which has everyone (including the band) swaying back and forth.
‘Cheer Up Baby’ gives the crowd a chance to release any last bits of pent-up energy, to the point that when the band leave the stage, rather than needing to drum up excitement for the band to come back out, the crowd stay silent, needing to take a moment to compose themselves.
Beginning the encore with ‘Open Wide’, a track with hints of garage music, is a stroke of genius as the venue temporarily transforms into a pulsating, vibrant nightclub, making it a perfect start to the end of the night. From then on, ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ and ‘Your House’ end the show. The band thank the crowd, walk off stage, and breathless concert-goers climb the O2 Academy’s sloping floor, spilling out of its doors onto the bustling streets of Brixton and breathing in the cold February air.
It’s a night of joyous celebration. Inhaler isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel with what they do or pretend to be something they’re not. Instead, they’re doing what any good band should do: they have an arsenal of great, catchy songs and a desire to play them live. And if they can do one thing, it is to provide the soundtrack and atmosphere for a brilliant night out.
Inhaler have a very characteristic sound, and it only takes listening to a few songs from their first two albums, It Won’t Always Be Like This (2021) and Cuts and Bruises (2023),to notice this. Two albums and several big tours and support slots later (Harry Styles, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Arctic Monkeys, etc.) bring us to album three, Open Wide. And while Open Wide still sounds very much like Inhaler, it is the band’s attempt at moving into a field of their own, setting them apart from other bands with a similar sound – think The Wombats, The Vaccines, Circa Waves, and so on. But despite their commendable flirtation with experimentation and move into pop (‘The Charms’, ‘Little Things’, ‘Eddie in the Darkness’) or dabble into garage on the title track, the album ultimately feels like a rehashing of the same handful of songs dressed in slightly poppier production, which, while good, do little in terms of musical progression and evolution.
And while most of the songs on ‘Open Wide’ aren’t bad, per se, they don’t commit wholeheartedly to any one direction
Elijah Hewson’s smooth, adaptable vocals are a natural fit for this brighter, pop-tinged approach. But despite producer Kid Harpoon’s impressive résumé (Harry Styles, Florence + The Machine, Maggie Rogers), his influence on Open Wide leaves many tracks falling flat. Take ‘All I Got is You’: polished to perfection, the track features guitars that mimic 80s disco synths and vocals that could easily find a home on Harry Styles’ Harry’s House. Yet despite its sheen, the song struggles to maintain momentum, with its verses merely stringing together its choruses – the only moments where the song truly comes alive. ‘The Charms’ and ‘Even Though’ suffer from similar shortcomings – a lack of sufficient variation and dynamism that prevents the songs from fully engaging the listener. And while most of the songs on ‘Open Wide’ aren’t bad, per se, they don’t commit wholeheartedly to any one direction, resulting in an album that lacks any distinctive identity.
On Open Wide, for every step in the right direction, there seems to be an equal opposite step in the wrong direction
That said, the album’s strongest moments emerge when the band commits fully to a given sound. Take ‘Again’, for example, a distressed indie-rock number where Hewson’s lower register blends with a groovy baseline and gritty guitars. Although it echoes their earlier work,there’s a distinct self-assuredness to it that is absent in the rest of Open Wide. Similarly, ‘X-Ray’ combines rock-leaning verses, a retro riff courtesy of guitarist Josh Jenkinson, and choruses that are beautifully, unapologetically pop.
‘A Question of You’ joins Inhaler’s discography as one of their best songs. From the infectious opening riff to the inclusion of a choir to the ingenious line “pour your heart out into my cup”, ‘A Question of You’ is Inhaler at their undeniable best. Meanwhile, ‘Still Young’ is a venture into grandiose arena pop that evokes The Killers, Sam Fender, and Bruce Springsteen with its soaring choruses and unwavering dynamism – a hint for what could be an exciting new direction for the band, should they decide to fully commit to it.
On Open Wide, for every step in the right direction, there seems to be an equal opposite step in the wrong direction and for every bold, confident track, there’s another that retreats into a half-hearted attempt at pop but never fully commits to the sound. While this makes Open Wide arguably Inhaler’s weakest album so far, the glimpses of brilliance scattered throughout suggest that, with refined production and a more decisive creative direction, they could be on the cusp of finding the sound that defines who they are.
Back in Bristol for the first time in a few years, Welsh pop-punkers Neck Deep bring their Dumbstruck Dumbf!@k tour to Bristol’s headline venue, the O2 Academy. With old friends The Wonder Years and new friends One Step Closer, both from across the pond, this was set to be a lively night.
One Step Closer, from Pennsylvania, open the night, playing a mix of their older and new songs to the early but captive audience. Personally, I had not heard of them before, but I did enjoy their set, and a few of the crowd had come prepared. Towards the second half of the set, the mosh pits start to open up, and by the end, there are even a couple of crowd surfers. This really shows how a Bristol crowd is willing to give it their everything.
Up next are The Wonder Years. Also from Pennsylvania. These guys took Neck Deep on their first tour of the USA, so it was fitting for them to come along over here.
Now, I am a big fan of TWY, and it is going to be difficult to make this not a very subjective review, but they absolutely smash their set. 45 minutes is never going to be enough time to truly get a full TWY performance, but they certainly try, cramming 11 songs in. This inlcudes ‘Washington Square Park’, which, until this tour, hadn’t been played very often.
I could really go and on and on and write a full page about TWY alone, but as the opening acts, both really do warm the crowd up for a good night.
Neck Deep were one of the first bands I saw live properly after COVID (remember that?), and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I was lucky enough to see them again in 2022 and now again in 2025, and they never fail to put on a good show.
Compared to 2022, the stage is a lot tamer this time round, with just their name behind them in the clouds and the band taking up most of it. No living rooms, TVs, or sofas. But that doesn’t distract from the energy and power that Ben and the band bring with them, keeping it up for the entire show.
Opening up with the tour title track, already the mosh pits are opening up and crowd surfers start coming from all angles. As always, a big thank you to the staff and security for looking after everyone.
Neck Deep are not much for talking, but Ben does take a moment to go political, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to many cheers from an often liberal Bristol crowd. To anyone who says that music and politics shouldn’t combine, I say ‘STFU’!
The band play a lot of the newer half of their discography, with their 2024 self-titled album taking centre stage. Still, a few of the older fan favourites are mixed in there, too, including ‘Smooth Seas Don’t Make Good Sailors’ and ‘Can’t Kick Up The Roots’. The main part of the set is brought to a close with ‘She’s A God’ followed by the emo Christmas anthem ‘December’.
A brief moment off stage and a chant from the crowd bring the boys from Wales back on stage for three more songs before the end of the night. ‘We Need More Bricks’, ‘STFU’ and finally, ‘In Bloom’ bring the night truly to a close, with one last set of mosh pits and crowd surfers making their way over the barrier into the waiting arms of security.
And that was it. Another February night filled with pop-punk madness and lots of sweaty people who enjoyed a really good show. I truly despise the O2 Academy Bristol’s layout, meaning that seeing the whole stage is nearly impossible unless you are front and centre, but Neck Deep, The Wonder Years and One Step Closer make it an enjoyable show nonetheless. Now, if they could stop charging £7 a pint, it would be even better…
Words: Ted Stargatt
Photos: Photos by Wil Denneman. No use without permission.
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