7th November
Gorilla
7/10
Circa Waves have had a very busy 2014. Support slots with the Libertines and the NME awards tour have highlighted a year of non-stop touring. On the way, they have garnered some flattering comparisons to The Strokes and We Are Scientists, alluding to their simple and uplifting brand of indie-pop. In February, media hot-shot Zane Lowe even named ‘Stuck in My Teeth’ the hottest record in the world. In short, these painfully catchy Liverpudlians are tussling for their share of the limelight right now, which in my experience is the absolute best time to catch a rock and roll band live. Who better to share it with than a full house at Manchester’s Gorilla?
Opening with ‘So Long’, there’s an instant barrage of snare-hits and down-strokes that would move the feet of even the crustiest music purist. The call-and-response choruses of the opening few tracks are chanted back by the crowd, as the front standing rows become fluid and excited. The middle of the set exposes the infancy of the band, ‘Fossil’ and ‘My Love’ aren’t played with the same amount of energy allowing the crowd to switch off for a song or two. Punctuating this lull, however are lively singles ‘Stuck in my Teeth’ and ‘Get Away’. Frontman Kieran Shudall and bassist Sam Rourke are at their best during these set highlights, dancing around like lunatics. By the time finale ‘Young Chasers’ rings out everyone is gross and sweating profusely, shouting for an encore that never comes.
Circa Waves played their part to a tee, conducting a willing crowd through some real barn-storming indie anthems with the excitement of a band on the cusp of big things. However, with a lean set lasting 40 minutes and a good deal of forgettable material, it wasn’t exactly Arctic Monkeys at the Boardwalk circa 2004. So if you’re after a night of jumping around to some fun indie-nostalgia then Circa Waves will certainly do the trick; but I wouldn’t go papering them over your Julian Casablancas posters quite yet.
