The Fleece, Bristol 15th March
For Fans of – The Lathums, Red Rub Club, Larkins, The Reytons and Skinner Brothers
The lights of The Fleece diminish as Earlestown’s finest fourpiece leap and bound onto the venue’s elevated stage. Onlookers stand elbow to elbow against the venue’s barrier, staring up at the band promising some ‘proper belters’ and guaranteed sticky floors. With the elevation of Jamie Boyle’s arms, the crowd are enraptured by the vocalist’s every move and plea for crowd participation.
The animate and inanimate bless the stage, the band taking final sips of Moretti as fans thrust signs reading ‘Viva la K’s’ and launch a pair of so-called ‘Lucky Pants’ into Boyle’s hands. The opening bars of ‘Picture’ reverberate around the venue, the truly rock n’ roll riffs by Ryan Breslin emulating the Fred Perry polo shirt adorned by Boyle – a timeless classic.
Without a doubt the crowd transforms into a riot, fingers pointed in the air, synchronised movements back and forth sweeping across the crowd like an uncontrollable pandemic – try and stay still I dare you. The band’s rich lyricism focusing on confusing, heart wrenching romanticism to classic British frustrations of the everyday, is emblematic of the band’s plethora of lyrical influences from Paul Weller to Oasis.
Followed by a brief exchange of guitars with crew adorned in matching K’s merch, the ecstatic energy emitted by the band’s opening songs becomes diluted and mellowed with a shift into the acoustic ‘Hoping Maybe’, followed by a rendition of Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun. For this the crowd go berserk like bats in the belfry. Bassist Dexter Baker casually sips his tinny from the sideline, amorously watching his childhood friend’s performance.
New release ‘Chancer’ anoints the crowd’s ears for the first time – the single screaming leather jackets and black lingerie on a Friday night out on the town. Peers erupts onto the drums, this both explosive and representative of the frustrations embodied by the song’s lyrics. A breather is needed. The final cover of the night commences. The opening verses of the Pogues’s Dirty Old Town fills the room. What screams the end of a tipsy night down at the local better? With energy restored, the rejuvenated band rupture into their iconic track ‘Sarajevo’, a masterpiece worthy of its 4 million streams on Spotify. A true mic-drop. The band proclaim a thousand goodbyes and thanks to their ardent followers – no French exits here for Earlestown’s finest.
@_nevedawson 
@nevedawsonphotos
@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.
