Live
This Feeling Big In 2018 Showcase
Nambucca, London
January 13 2018
Words: Georgia Murphy
Pictures: Alan Wells
Club promoters This Feeling have had more than a decade's experience in knowing a good emerging band when they see one, and this year’s Big In 2018 showcase proved yet again they have their finger on the pulse.
Opening proceedings tonight was the groovy Lucie Barât, who wooed the crowd with soulful and intelligent blues-rock. She sashayed around the stage and definitely left the already busy crowd wanting more.
Birmingham band The Surrenders manage to charm their way into everybody’s heart with their brand of psych-tinged, Led Zep-esque riff and roll. Instilling a warming sense of nostalgia while nimbly sidestepping the retro sound, the band possess a delicious ability to rock the hell out of an audience, while unleashing astute songwriting dynamite from every available string.
A brilliant discovery for many is London-based three-piece Calva Louise, a marriage of punky ferociousness and sonic hooks perfectly in line with the escapist zeitgeist that This Feeling encapsulates, and a frontwoman in Jessica Allanic to keep make them definitely ones to watch.
Regularly touted as one of the best live bands currently on offer, Avalanche Party certainly did not fail to impress with a sumptuous and rambunctious wall of sound. Spirit in buckets, the turbulence of their stage presence was infectious as hell as the crowd went wild to ‘I’m So Wet’.
The grunge cheerleader trio, Lauren, Lizz and Sophie - aka Hey Charlie - were hotly tipped, having recently returned from an enormous tour with All Time Low. Swinging their trademark blonde hair in unision as they served head banging slices of fuzz and distortion, the set was a hypnotic party.
Himalayas are certainly going places, with a string of This Feeling dates lined up and an invitation to perform at SXSW in March. Their very distinctive sound instills an electric combination of soul-warming nostalgia and anthemic sing-along-ability.
Gold in the rock 'n' roll Olympics has to be awarded to Sheffield's Sheafs, a band fast becoming legends for the lawless deviance in their live set. It saw a beer soaked crowd erupt into an anarchic regression of civilisation, ending with multiple mosh pit casualties crawling wide eyed to the side of the room, yet still managing to shout along to ‘This Is Not A Protest’. This band have to be seen to be believed.
The band on everybody’s lips are of course, the Bowie-princess fronted Anteros, who distributed their cosmic anthems to a heart eyed audience. Injecting a huge syringe of happiness into everybody present, their standout tracks ‘Breakfast’, ’Drunk’ and closer ‘Anteros’, turned the room into a glittering love-in of the highest order.
The leather jacket clad gang that make up Judas closed the show, with the crowd up for anything at this point. The Kings Of Leon-esque indie with a massive sound was strung out with fervour and impeccable tightness to a bouncing crowd.
With Nambucca rammed to capacity, all nine bands fed the crowd a big bowl of rock 'n'roll, and This Feeling showed they know their stuff, with the galactic level of talent on stage all indeed, big.
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