The Thekla, 31st October 2022
A special night, with a special band
We dive into the venue to escape the monsoon outside & are immediately faced with a wall of bodies packing the hull of Bristol’s iconic music boat like sardines in a can. The queue for merch possibly the longest I’ve seen.
To say this band has a frightening drawing power is a understatement.
The other thing of note was the demographic of the crowd. Swathes of young female identifying people packed the areas nearest the stage.
As soon as we are halfway into the set its easy to see why.
Crawlers are an absolute beacon of light to this young crowd. Their whole ethos, heart of sleeve approach to their music is a huge draw to the upcoming generation. Watching Holly engage with the young crowd was inspiring. Seeing the way those young faces were looking up and hanging on every spoken word & lyric truly heartwarming. This band has a very special connection with their fan base. As a dad of a young women in her early twenties its impossible to state how important open, honest role models are.
Musically, the performance is flawless, starting strong with the likes of “Statues” & “Monroe” and reaching peak boat rocking level by the time “Fuck Me (IDKHTS)”
The atmosphere so positively charged that I’m sure when the mobile phones lights come on for “Come Over (again)” the phone batteries are recharging from the energy in the room itself.
Crawlers are on a trajectory that at its current pace will see them headlining the majors in a short space of time.
A band that connect with their audience through lived experience, not by trying to tap into the experience of others and ride the wave to popularity. It feels organic and natural and the future is very bright indeed for this band.
@bristolnomad_gigphotography / @thebristolnomad
