THERE’S a tangible sense of excitement in the air as Liverpool’s finest indie rock band take to the stage at the hallowed and revered Barrowland Ballroom. A band reinvigorated after the release of their potent and enraged sophomore album Different Creatures, they emerge from the shadows amid a squall of high energy guitar and it’s clear that everyone in the audience is invested in what they have to offer.
Setting out with the brash and boisterous sounds of ‘Wake Up’, it is clear from the outset that the band are reveling in the fact that their shift in direction from plucky indie poppers to brooding punk rockers has been met with such widespread approval. As the track hurtles from its lively verses to the first of many anthemic choruses that will be faithfully delivered over the course of the evening, it is abundantly clear that tonight marks the start of Circa Waves’ transition from up and comers to fully fledged headliners that can hold an audience in the palm of their hand.
Ramping things up a notch with the familiar strains of ‘Get Away’ from their debut album , they quickly deliver fellow Young Chasers highlights ‘So Long’ and ‘Lost It’ with the sort of unbridled passion that suggests that while they may have made amendments to the radio friendly sound that had helped them gain a foothold in the trying world of modern music, they are by no means shying away from their roots.
At this stage, frontman Keiran Shuddal sheds his black denim jacket to reveal a t-shirt bearing the name of The Lapelles and those who are familiar with the band and the tragic loss of frontman Gary Watson cheer in fervent approval.
Delving into the more melancholic and angst ridden sound of their recently released new album, the aggressive, discontented ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Out On My Own’ are greeted with the warmth of an old friend by the crowd despite the fact that they are relatively fresh in their minds. What fans of indie music in their mid to late 20’s may have failed to realise is that the infatuation that we held for bands such as Arctic Monkeys and The Cribs is precisely the same level as that which those who came of age with Circa Waves’ debut feel towards them and thus even the set’s most tame moments is given a sense of occasion by their ecstatic reaction to seeing ‘their’ band live for perhaps the first time.
The band themselves are equally elated at the fact that they’ve finally made it to Glasgow’s undisputed musical mecca and this is clearly displayed as they deliver a frenetic version of ‘Fossils’ that prompts a huge singalong from all of those in the audience.
There is a clear progression in their sound and this is no more punctuated than when the band dish out Young Chasers’ highlight ‘Stuck In My Teeth’ and the new record’s title track in quick succession. Although both tracks are performed with vigour and sincerity, the disparity in their sound is evident of the Liverpudlian four piece finding their own niche and acclimating to the revelation that they no longer have to tow anyone else’s line. They are a band that have worked relentlessly in order to be in this favourable position and the fact that two wildly different songs can be met with similar enthusiasm by the crowd is the hallmark of a group that have refused to fall into the all too familiar pitfalls that have slayed many a buzzworthy band and are set to become part of the landscape of indie music for the foreseeable future.
Bringing the main set to a close with the rugged ‘A Night On The Broken Tiles’ and ‘My Love’, there is little time to waste before Kieran reappears armed with an acoustic guitar for a gentile rendition of ‘Love’s Run Out.’
As the band erupt into new single ‘Fire That Burns’, their excitement mirrors that of the crowd and prompts one of the evening’s most raucous moments.
Just as the band prepare to close on the emphatic T-Shirt Weather, Kieran halts proceedings in order to dedicate not only their final track but the entire set to The Lapelles’ dearly departed frontman. When the track’s opening strains arrive, it causes the crowd to become completely unglued and embrace the fact that this is more than just a show but is the ascendancy of a band from an underground phenomenon and into one of the UK’s very best guitar-based groups.
As the audience filtered out to The Lapelles’ ‘Grab Life By’, everyone in attendance left safe in the knowledge that Circa Waves will continue to evolve and every new take on their sound and iteration will be just as thrilling as the one that preceded it.
