Perfect for fans of Shame, black midi, Do Nothing and Murder Capital.
Following the release of their recent album O Monolith, Brighton’s five-piece Squid opened their UK tour with a trip to Bristol’s hottest music venue, SWX. Having not seen the band since their headlining performance at Dot to Dot Festival in 2022, a pilgrimage to SWX to see the post-punk band was in dire need. The band has received considerable praise over the last four years, notably on their 2021 album Bright Green Field which debuted at No.4 on the UK Albums Chart of the same year. Whilst showcasing O Monolith in all its glory, the band also took the audience on a trip down memory lane, with a set list stretching back to their earliest releases with record label Speedy Wunderground.
With an ever-growing listenership, SWX was packed from corner to corner, bar to stage, with fans standing regimentally awaiting the band’s appearance. A sea of beanies, oversized jeans and merch t-shirts met my eyes as the scintillating neon sign reading Squid lit up the venue. Darkness then greeted the venue as the band stealthily crept onto the stage, ready to commence their two-night appearance at SWX.
The band began with a percussion piece, introducing their raw talent as a group of multi-instrumentalists. Tracks from O Monolith warm up the crowd, seamlessly blending electronic synths, sound effects and a classic post-punk sound. Vocalist and Drummer Ollie Judge sits at the front-most point of the stage, the front-page model for the band, mastering multi-tasking in every definition of the word, something only the likes of Karen Carpenter have achieved. A time-machine set back to high school music classes is provided by the band, with Laurie Nankivell playing the Cowbell and Triangle in a professional manner we all once dreamed of achieving, sitting in those sensory overload classrooms.
Brass sections bring in elements of the musical past and Jazz, combining tastefully with the modern and post-punk, Nankivell’s Trumpet solo met with considerable rapport. A brief interlude between tracks transports the crowd to outer space with extraterrestrial sounds followed by an impressive and swift changeover of instruments by Louis Borlase and Anton Pearson, taking turns to play lead guitar and bass respectively.
The smoke-filled venue continued to be lit by strobing green light reminiscent of the band’s artwork on Bright Green Field, as the next track ‘Undergrowth’ is met with a sudden explosion of heads swaying side-to-side, bodies forward and backwards. Judge effortlessly switches from a conversational delivery to Alto vocals with applied reverb. The band skillfully create a beautifully layered sound, compiling wiring riffs, finger vibrato and brooding bass sections.
Standing up and towering over his drum kit, Judge is caught by a section of angelic and ethereal light as the band becomes evermore experimental in their sound, bringing in Cello sections that catalyse an outer-body-like experience for all. Video game sounds reverberate around the room, an ode to the 80s and pixel age as the band segway into the infamous track ‘G.S.K’. Fully entranced in a cult-like wave of movement, the crowd awaken hazily with the opening bars of ‘G.S.K’, the 2021 track followed by a dark and baroque-like interlude featuring a single spotlight on the Cello.
Tidal waves in the mosh pit ebb and flow with ‘Narrator’, a track focusing on self-determination as Judge chants in a mantra-like fashion “I am my own narrator”. ‘Glass’ introduced by Judge as ‘Crispy Skin’ further heats the crowd, followed by Bright Green Field favourites ‘Peel St.’ and ‘Pamphlets’. As the night comes to an end with one of O Monolith‘s most streamed songs, ‘The Blades’, the crowd’s sights set not only on everything the five-piece have to offer in these final moments but all they have provided so far in their celebrated musical career. The band depart the stage, evoking that common post-gig feeling of deflation and elation amongst the crowd. SWX clears out as fans leave for warming pints in the city centre. However, Brighton’s five-piece remains backstage, setting their sights to the following night and another jam-packed performance at Bristol’s SWX.
@nevedawsonphotos @_nevedawson
My current role for TBGG is as a Reviewer, Interviewer and Photographer, which I do in my spare time when I'm not studying English Literature and History at the University of Bristol.
I'm available for reviews, previews, interviews and shoots through the company. Alongside TBGG I also write for The So Young, Groupie and Rodeo Magazines, with an aspiration to enter magazine and newspaper journalism focusing on culture and the arts.
What was your first Gig?
The first gig I remember seeing (when I wasn’t dragged around by my metal-head father) was The Killers live in my hometown of Birmingham in 2016. Brandon Flowers’s iridescent cowboy suit still blinds me to this day and echoes glamorous indie rock n’ roll for years to come.
What's your dream Gig?
I would have to say my dream gig would be seeing Hendrix’s star-spangled banner live at Woodstock ’69. Call me cliché but I was born in the wrong generation.
