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Simon Sarin
Taking inspiration from the NME Radar Tour, the annual Alive Tour hosted by This Feeling has seen last year’s guests Bang Bang Romeo make giant leaps by securing a record deal and a stadium tour with Pink.
It’s a decent performance indicator for everyone involved; this year’s tour features headliners Trampolene, The Surrenders and Lacuna Bloome, and it’s fascinating to speculate on how the bands’ careers could pan out from here.
First up tonight (28th Nov) are Brighton’s Lacuna Bloome, who are gaining recognition and solidifying a reputation for noise-led but infectious guitar-pop. With catchy songs such as the shoegaze-inflected Alright and the single I Am, there is every reason to keep an eye on what this band get up to as they continue to develop the sonic consistency of their live sets.
Hailing from the West Midlands, The Surrenders are right at the cusp of taking their Hendrix-influenced craft further. Known for their vibrant live shows and greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, the indie blues rockers embody a combination of genuine stage presence and well-crafted songs. As they ensure the smooth delivery of Shouldn’t Have To Dig, No Paper, Dirty English Story and Pursuit of Love, they leave nothing but a strong impression and a fiery energy behind them.
Having toured with Liam Gallagher and supported Kasabian last year, Trampolene’s transformation to full-blown rock band should be obvious to anyone who has seen them play live this year, and tonight is no deviation as their powerful and arresting hour-long set electrifies. Displaying recent releases whilst incorporating old favourites – the songs fans are dying to hear – their setlist is structured and thought-through.
Dressed in a grey fake fur coat, frontman Jack Jones and co kick the guitar extravaganza off with Under The Strobe Light and It’s Not Rock And Roll, both acting as clear indications of what’s to come: energy in high doses of the raw kind, acutely piercing guitar solos, moshing and large doses of passion.
As things get hot and sweaty, Alcohol Kiss supports the build-up of a mosh pit, the high intensity then challenged further by the rhythmic poetry of Ketamine and the soft sentiment of Beautiful Pain with the flawless, silence vs storm element. Bassist Wayne Thomas’ brother, Lee Thomas, joins them on guitar for the straight-rocking Imagine Something Yesterday, thereby creating a sense of contrast and variety.
“Can we all imagine we are at Glastonbury and Kanye West just reported us,” Jack shouts. Perfectly grasping how to create a grand finale, the following song is ‘dedicated to his Grandad’ just as the trio launches into the dramatic Storm Heaven, and just before they close the show with Poundland.
There’s no doubt Trampolene are one of the most gifted new guitar bands, and hopefully it’s purely a matter of time before they gain more international recognition, and wider audiences get to enjoy their music.