A sunny day across the capital seems like a rather fitting mood for one of the hottest bands in the UK right now to open up here at the awkwardly shaped XOYO. Apologies, I Have None may be a slight bit out of place on the bill but clearly the band have a few fans amongst the crowd as they help to sing along, which forges genuine smiles on the faces of the band. As I’ve seen before, Apologies provide real enthusiasm with the delivery of the songs in their set and the 3 passionate vocals help to solidify the belief that the band have in their songs, all of which are from recently released album ‘London’
The more suited of the two support acts, Pianos Become The Teeth are troubled with a faulty microphone for the vocals during their first song, but the band still capture the audience with intent concentration. No movement, just a set focus from everyone in the crowd. Admiral in many respects, but an atmosphere seems to be missing, which seems unfortunate and not quite fitting to such an atmospheric sounding band, who do sound terrific in this venue with the use of reverb.
However, the atmosphere completely changes and a surge of movement brings the room to life as Touché Amoré deliver a heavy and consistent set. The crowd reaction is more than immense and the constant pummel from song to song barely allows anyone to breath. A new song is given a run through for this London crowd and it’s certainly appreciated, with Jeremy Bolm giving a stellar display of musicianship and that of a truly fantastic frontman. Fully engaging the crowd and joining them on more than one occasion really is what the crowd wants and their reactions are what he wants. The most humblest of gratitude is shown throughout the night, ending with an accapella version of ‘Condolences’ that has Jeremy and the crowd singing in unison.
A slightly lacking start was more than made up for by the end. Touché Amoré are truly experts in the live field and the new song shows that the band are consistently on top form.
4/5
Words by Michael Brown (@MikeyMiracle)
