As The Maccabees left the stage and disbanded at Alexandra Palace, Felix White was the last of the band members to ask for a final farewell. He bounced up and down as legions of fans said one last goodbye and then he walked into the unknown, his brother Hugo White just behind him.
Seven years later, as Hugo and Felix ascended The Deaf Institute stage stairs as members of 86TVs, much of the same dynamic is at play, eerily echoing past times but concurrently bringing something fresh and exciting. 86TVs, once a well-kept secret, are now a fledging band signed to Parlophone. With a willingness to start again, the peak of 86TVs is not in sight.
This was the band’s first headline show in Manchester, having supported Jamie T at Victoria Warehouse in November 2022 before they had a label or management, or a finished sound. After a beautiful solo set from Lizzie Reid, echoing Bright Eyes and Elliott Smith, we were ready to check in with the band on their progress.
Felix White utilised the skills he’s learnt in his time out from touring, providing funny and loving context to the largely unreleased material. He screamed like he did in The Maccabees days with purpose and joy. After time out from touring, it quickly became apparent that the 9pm adrenaline that band members get has returned within him. The stage cuts him loose.
86TVs have a mature sound. They don’t deal in race-to-the-end indie or solely emotional and paced ballads, but instead an assured, courageous body of work. All three White brothers, Felix, Hugo, and Will, harmonised and had their own moments in the spotlight, all with distinctive styles and clear, defined roles in the band. Complete with Jamie Morrison, who played a drum solo mid-way through the set, 86TVs are a case in point for being greater than the sum of their parts.
And that’s exactly what family is; with 3/4 of the band being related, and the other another kind of brother, the music just meant more. We were actively rooting for them, invested in the music, the lyrics, and the way the four members worked together. Felix galvanised the crowd, demanding “vertical movement” from the audience several times, but also reassuring us that “internal enjoyment is fine.”
The band showcased their unreleased album, but truly shone when performing their released EP at the end of the set, benefitting from the dedicated crowd knowing the music. ‘Dreaming’ sounds like it’s from the school of Given to the Wild, twinkling gently and gracefully, but being distinctly separate from the artists’ previous work. 86TVs have nailed it, as no one was clamouring for covers or the old times, but letting the new music wash over them. They are not a phoenix band, but their own entity.
Earworm ‘Higher Love’ teed up the finale of ‘Worn Out Buildings’, a brave reminder that resentments don’t help you, and tough times always pass. “You don’t have to be yourself right now, just give it time you’ll work that out.” There are many times throughout any given day you could apply this wisdom, and the fact that it’s packaged into an indie embrace is a bonus. 86TVs’ songs are intimate yet stadium-ready, personal yet collective. Let it get under your skin.
