Movements’ explosion within the music scene has been impressive. From releasing their first EP two years ago to their debut album back in October of 2017, the band have become a force to be reckoned with, garnering an army of fans all around the world that have allowed the emo/post-hardcore outfit to leave their native California and travel the globe.
Tonight, they visit Cardiff, bringing along Brighton grunge-punks Muskets, and French emo/alt-rock band Pærish. Surprisingly, the show takes place in the much smaller downstairs room of Clwb Ifor Bach, making for what must be one of Movements’ first-floor shows in a long time.
Photos by Sam Haines
Muskets begin their set to an already packed out room, launching straight into their fast, fuzz-heavy grunge sound. The energy of singer Alex Cheung is almost inspiring, as he utilises the small space the floor allows, while shouting into the mic. Their set consists largely of songs from last years debut album, ‘Chew’, which was released on No Sleep Records back in October. Though there’s little movement from the crowd, the response is still positive, especially when the band launch into ’17 Years’, one of the album’s singles. Audience engagement is few and far between from this set, with the band letting the music speak for itself, and it certainly seems to have hooked a few in the room. (4/5)
Next is the turn of Pærish, a band straight from the French capital. Their blend of twinkly riffs and Feeder-inspired melodic sections make for an engaging set, with the crowd starting to become more active. Many of the songs do seem to blur into one by the time we reach the final parts of the set, however, though there are some interesting intros and interplay between the guitars that keep the crowd from dropping off. As well as this, the audience interaction from singer Mathias Court makes for a few laughs as he discusses his brief time seeing the characters of the Welsh capital. While not having the most distinct sound around, the band seem big on personality, and will no doubt win over a dedicated UK fanbase with this tour. (3.5/5)
- Photos by Sam Haines
The room is full to the brim by the time Movements come on. Rarely does downstairs sell out without a room upgrade, so tonight’s show should be an interesting one. They open with ‘Full Circle’, the opener to ‘Feel Something‘, and instantly the whole room starts moving. It quickly becomes a swirling pit, which the band feed off and return the energy. Crowd surfers come flying at the band who don’t miss a beat as they rip through more songs from their debut album.
‘Nineteen’ gets one of the biggest reactions of the night. As a favourite from the ‘Outgrown Things’ EP, the crowd whip up into a frenzy once again, shouting every part of the spoken word portion of the song back at singer Patrick Miranda, who packs thick the emotion in his words. ‘Deadly Dull’ comes a couple of songs later and has the same effect on the crowd.
Every song Movements perform tonight is of near album quality. Miranda’s voice sounds stunning in the small room, and the instrumentals sound full and dense, not losing anything from album to stage. The highlight of this might be the closing song ‘Daylily’, which sees the both the crowd and band explode into singing at the chorus. Very rarely does a band so near-perfect in such a small venue. It truly is a stunning night to be a part of.
With performances like this, it’s really no surprise that Movements have as much traction as they do at the moment. They leave it all on stage; the energy and emotion is palpable. This show would be enough to change anyone’s opinion on the band. (5/5)
4.5/5
Words by Ben Mills (@BenMills28). Photos by Sam Haines and taken at Camden Assembly, London – 09/05/2018.
