Review – Warchild Benefit Gig ft: Idles, Portishead, Katy J Pearson & Heavy Lungs

Bristol O2 Academy, 2nd May 2022

It is rare as a music fan that you truly feel connected to the wider music world, and outside of perhaps the most ardent Facebook fan pages it is often the case that most people won’t mix with people who like vastly different bands. However tonight was different, and unified under the jointly held banner of charity, a country’s worth of music fans poured into the O2 Academy to raise money for War Child.

Opening the night were Heavy Lungs, who are local legends and it was brilliant to see them take the stage in front of a packed house. As per usual Heavy Lungs put on a spectacular show that was a real early punch in the gut when you remember that Danny stems from Ukraine, so the pained and angry vocal expressions really hit at a new level.

Katy J Pearson was also a local showstopper with her charming and beautifully written take on the Kate Bush sound, the moment the set started people stopped and were sucked into the recently chart topping and infectiously catchy music.

Following Katy J Pearson (Who was already headline material!) was Billy Nomates, producing a caustic 80s inspired sound, they didn’t need a band because they had stage presence in spades, no stage would be too large for these tunes! Singing about all aspects of the drudgery of modern life, Billy Nomates has been captivating people up and down the country, and definitely converted some fans tonight!

Portishead, well, where does one even start with them? I’ll confess this sin, until this gig I had never really listened to them at length, but after the earth shatteringly stunning set I will now be doing a deepdive into the catalog. Portishead played only a short set of about 30 minutes however this was all they needed to stun the fans, some of which had driven for hours to see their first live set in 7 years. A personal highlight of mine will be Wandering Star, sung under the spotlight by Beth Gibbons was a memory I will never forget.

IDLES were IDLES, impeccable, loud, brash and full of emotions. I am convinced that this band will one day work themselves to death as they have completed what was basically a world tour but still had time to fly back to their roots for a charity gig. In an industry with some shady dealing IDLES will always get nothing but respect for what they give back to fans. Their set was a hits parade mostly, with some of the newer Crawler tracks giving them a more experimental edge than the previous times I’ve seen them. Not only are IDLES an amazing live band, they also have the most committed fans who know all the words and when it is best to thrash out. 
Overall, a star studded lineup of local and national talent for a brilliant cause. What more could you ask for on a monday? And more than £90k raised for such an important cause.

 @CamMulberry  Chris Cooper