Recently I reviewed Circa Waves’
second record ‘Different Creatures’ here on the website. I didn’t mince my
words in my displeasure with it. I thought it was boring, derivative, and a
misstep from the Liverpudlians. I was however a big fan of their debut record
‘Young Chasers’. Taking all this into account I went to the gig excited but
with a hint of trepidation that my aversion to their new material would spoil
the gig. These worries were unfounded however as Circa Waves put on a raucous
show that kicked off their tour in style.
Support acts Inheaven and The
Magic Gang had warmed up the crowd nicely but Circa Waves opening with their
recent lead single ‘Wake Up’ jolted the crowd with a chaotic energy which set
the tone for the rest of the gig. I use the word chaotic specifically because
this was an odd crowd. Circa Waves are popular amongst younger listeners and
this was very apparent to my friends and I as the crowd were starting mosh pits
on songs where it just didn’t fit and were starting them way too early so when
the drop arrived to commence the moshing, people had lost interest. They didn’t
have much gig experience and it showed.
I can’t really blame the crowd
for wanting to mosh though because the band’s musicianship and steady flow of
sing-along hits like ‘Get Away’, ‘Stuck’, and ‘Fossils’ encouraged it. I was
really impressed with how tight the band were live, nobody missed a beat and
you would have thought you were listening to the records if you couldn’t see
lead singer Kieran Shudall’s performing in person, his vocal performance was
perfectly replicated from the studio and you can’t ask for much more than that.
The sound mixing was also top notch. Each hit of the bass drum reverberated around
the O2 Academy like a cannon and no part of the band was ever lost in the mix,
it may seem like a simple aspect of the gig but it’s surprising how many
venues/bands struggle to get this right, even after sound check.
For my money the setlist could do
with some tweaking for the rest of the tour. Slower tracks such as ‘Love Run’s
Out’ were a nice change of pace but they dragged on far too long and you could
sense the crowd getting unruly waiting for the next chance to flail their
miasma of sweaty bodies around on a more upbeat track. The band didn’t overstay
their welcome though. They played for just over an hour and with a loyal crowd
singing every word back and they commanded the Academy with a cool confidence.
They closed out the set with the infectiously catchy ‘T-Shirt Weather’ and with
yellow spotlights blasting into the disco ball and reflecting into the crowd
combined with the summery tone of the track, for just a few minutes I
completely forgot we were in grey, rainy Sheffield. Circa Waves weren’t there
for a long time, but it was certainly a good time.