A sold-out UEA show brings with it a certain prestige to the local area, although with the level headiness of the bands performing tonight, it felt more like being sat in your local while ‘that guy’ tells some jokes, some odd stories, then breaks into an unexpected sing song.
Spring King are the first band up, starting out on a cool note, a relaxed start from the 4 piece chills the crowd into a slow dance. A beam of guitars and they dived straight into it. Impressive skills from drummer/lead vocalist Tarek Musato keep impeccable timing while doing all the requisites of your favourite frontmen. They produce a great indie/garage rock sound that would go well with a sunny afternoon festival vibe. ‘Better men’- Sees the crowd being charmed into some dancing, which is picked up on by the frontman, and he thanks the crowd for getting involved. The onstage presence, coupled with their relatable sound, really sees people warm to them throughout their set. It was effortless how this band bounced from song to song in between casual conversation with the crowd, which gave a much more personal feel to their set. Simple stage setup with all 4 members in a curved line while each member animates themselves to what they’re playing, but as is often the case, the simplest is the best. An air of modesty from the band that could not thank the crowd enough for getting involved, and just like that, they took their instruments down as if nothing had happened.
Punk outfit Wonk Unit sporting the very trendiest track suits and giving respect to the locality of Norwich introducing their first song based on questionable relationship……”differences” Alex Brindle Johnson a great frontman holds control of the crowd well with his strong cockney like accent giving a gritty edge to the band, giving us a lovely blue collar poem about his bathing experiences with his wife leads straight to ‘She Cut Her Finger’ a DIY punk feel that envelopes the song and the set as a whole it becomes obvious as the night progresses we’re dealing with a wordsmith or if you rather a street poet. It’s quite difficult to know how to take Wonk Unit, is it serious or is it working-class comedy? The way in which a lot of innuendos are worked into lyrics keep it light hearted but also there’s a lot of emotional and situational references that when reflected upon really make you think….about his nan leaving the door open as she ‘goes about her business’ But the song itself is somewhat touching in a weird way, probably the wrong way, and affectionately named ‘Nan’ while this song stays within the obvious punk realm it also veers into a hardcore feel, this replicated throughout their set which mainly consisted of 2 minute intervals of rushed music then hilarious stories, adding to the easy going feel of the night actually made for a much more communal atmosphere so far so good.
Two-piece band Slaves, who are Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman, have a very personal setup on stage ,the drums brought to the forefront, and both members standing as close to the crowd as possible, but still make great use of all corners of the stage they received anecstatic welcome from the baying crowd, the most intense use of strobes used in recent memory. You literally could not look at the stage without being dazzled by a strobe light. ‘White Knuckle Ride’ opens the gates to an audience that embodies the message of anarchy and disorder. Intense punk themes with meaningful lyrics, crescendos and musical appreciation were never lost through the shouts and throaty strains of their blend of punk. It wasn’t long before crowd surfers were in full flow, the whole of the crowd itself being pushed forward throughout the set as people yearned for their faces to be smooshed against the headliners’ various extremities. ‘Cheer Up London’ had Isaac seeming like a megaphone-wielding revolutionary shouting ‘YOU’RE DEAD ALREADY-DEAD DEAD ALREADY-READY’ and the fellow trouble makers getting involved in this somewhat prayer like chant. Afterwards, both membersasked for phones to be lowered and stated how technology is ruining humanity, although without it, you wouldn’t be reading this now. It was a genuine moment, and they encouraged people to disconnect from filming on their phones to just dance and enjoy the moment. I take my hat off to you, good sirs! ‘The Hunter’ is attacked with a larynx shredding immediacy, and a sonic ruination guitars at the climax this song saw a lot of crowd activity even prompting both members to ask the crowd if they were okay and even including the security and getting the crowd to cheer them on for keeping everyone safe, a sincere sense of unity had consumed the atmosphere of the whole night. When the duo announced their next song was a cover of Skepta’s ‘Shutdown’, this produced such intense crowd reaction that even some of the venue staff were recording the mayhem that ensued.
Even when there were a few technical difficulties with Laurie’s pedal board this hot blooded duo kept the crowd entertained with their interaction and own brand of comedy this night feeling more like a comedy festival with music in between certainly something different and carrying on the song from exactly where they left off, felt as though they gave a flawless performance, this is a nod towards their skills to entertain both with sound and sight, and that even when things go wrong their fans are happy to stand there and listen to them ramble on into the mic; Incredible how they pulled it all back in their own professional manner. ‘Hey’ was the final song, and in the midst of a great guitar hook and feral vocals it turned out Isaac’s shoulder couldn’t take his continuous abuse of his drums and unfortunately became dislocated, after repeating this into the mic several times they had to stop mid song and he quickly checked himself over to see if they could finish what they started. Only Laurie returned to state that, unfortunately, Isaac was unable to continue, so they had to end the show then and there, but when the dust settled, the fans waved him off with admiration and a sense of fulfilment.
From a technical standpoint, what Slaves do musically isn’t adventurous or ‘different’ after all, it’s 2 guys, some drums and a guitar, there’s only so much you can do. But their signature way of delivering hit after hit, great hooks and purposeful lyrics coupled with deep meanings, have meant they have cemented themselves favorites with people wanting to ‘stick it to the man’ This was one of the best shows I’ve seen and perhaps not for the usual reasons, simply put never have I felt a band so personally connected to everyone in the room.
Words – Marc Allum
Photography – Kayleigh Warren
