Circa Waves at the Roundhouse: Proving That They Are Truly Never Going Under
Photo Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pahudson/33316836581/in/album-72157677958856104/ (licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Celebrating their 10th year, legendary British Indie Rock band Circa Waves performed their long-awaited show following the release of their fifth album Never Going Under at the London Roundhouse. This comes after multiple shows were postponed due to lead singer and primary writer Kieran Shudall’s health issues earlier in the year.
Prior to Circa Waves setting the stage, they were accompanied by two support acts: Courting and Cassia. Despite the stark differences between these two bands, both were able to capture the attention of the audience and reel in the excitement for the main act.
As the lights dimmed and excitement levels rose, Circa Waves began with ‘Never Going Under’, the opening song and title-track of their new album, capturing the energy of the audience. Performing songs from across all five studio albums, the band brought different attitudes to each song. ‘Wake Up’ from their 2017 album Different Creatures had an electrifying introduction, building up to the chorus and perfect for mosh pits.
Classics such as ‘Stuck In My Teeth’ were also played, garnering further excitement as Shudall challenged fans who had been around since the release of this song, nearly 10 years ago, to scream the lyrics, which was done so with immense joy across the audience.
The high-energy performance was soon slowed down with the heart-wrenching, ‘Living in the Grey’, a single released from the new album, exhibiting lyrics such as: “And drink to the boy I used to be, and the man I am today”, which cut deep with many of the audience as a song about dreams not amounting to what you thought they would be.
As the set progressed, a return was made to the faster-paced songs designed for mosh pits, with favourites such as ‘Get Away’ and ‘Move To San Francisco'. Shudall however, was keen to remind the audience that if anyone was to fall, they should be helped back up, an important reminder at any high-energy rock gig such as this.
A heart-warming moment was shared between the band and the audience as things were slowed down once more during ‘Lemonade’, as the audience was encouraged to raise their arms and wave them in unison during the chorus and towards the end of the song. This felt particularly special, in a time where we are finally able to return to shows after periods where the world had shut down entirely from the pandemic.
Rock anthems and fan favourites ‘Fire That Burns’ and ‘Be Your Drug’ followed this, once more encouraging a return to the energy a band such as Circa Waves are known for.
A brief break was taken, subsequently prompting the audience to continuously chant “one more song!” The band soon returned to the stage for the encore, performing indie rock classic, ‘T-Shirt Weather’, beginning with the iconic introduction riff which had the audience singing along. As the song built and the mosh pits grew in size, Shudall encouraged the audience to shout the lyrics “it’s going to be okay”, by the end of which the energy was explosive and everyone was on their feet, dancing and singing their lungs out to a nostalgic indie anthem, sharing a truly special moment together among friends, family, and fellow-music lovers.
Edited by Lucy Blackmur, Music Editor
Comments