The Louisiana, 9th November 2022
In a dimly lit, 120-capacity upper floor of a pub with carpeted flooring, I wasn’t expecting to see a band quite as electric and vibrant as modernlove. The four-piece, hailing from Ireland, was an incredibly exciting band to witness perform on Wednesday night in Bristol’s The Louisiana, one of the most beloved small-scale venues on the local scene.
Their glittering indie-pop tunes felt suited to their heavily late teen-aged audience, well fitted to summers spent sitting in fields drinking cheap alcohol. Their emotional vocal performance from frontman Barry Lally was truly gripping from start to finish, feeling like we were watching the next best musical talent from Ireland emerging before our eyes. Paired with cinematic, melodic riffs and weighty drumbeats, modernlove.’s music is the perfect introduction to the indie pop scene for the current teen audiences, following in the steps of festival anthem bands such as Circa Waves and Sundara Karma. However, their newest single Until My Heart Stops Beating felt like the band’s music slowly maturing into a soft-emo sound, with similarities to Turnover’s biblical dream-pop album Peripheral Vision.
Despite their discography being a more rough-around-the-edges indie sound, their new single released earlier that day was received well by the audience. The sound bounced off the room and everyone inside all night, as that carpet got slowly more and more soaked in beer.
Stepping out from that gig felt like drinking a red bull at 11pm – I know I need to go to sleep, but I am completely unable to. I am completely awake and energised and most importantly of all, I want more. I am truly excited to see this band continue creating music to soundtrack the lives of the next generation, and see them get bigger and bigger.
Daisy Kent – Music Photographer
Daisy Kent @daisylkent
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Hi! I'm Daisy, and I'm a music photographer and digital creative. I also write live music reviews.
Qualifications: 2:1 in BA Photography: Editorial and Advertising at the University of Gloucestershire.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Mcfly at Westonbirt Arboretum, June 2009.
First gig shot: My first photo gig was The Stranglers at O2 Academy Bristol, in March 2019. My first writing and photo gig was Bastille at Marble Factory, in February 2022.
Dream gig: Taylor Swift, 100%. No doubt.
