Indie powerhouses Circa Waves have been mainstays on the music scene since the release of their break-out self-titled EP just over a decade ago. Since then, the quartet have housed multiple sell-out headline shows, graced festival stages across Europe, and boast an impressive catalogue of six studio albums, and a handful of extended plays. Their latest project came in the form of mystery-shrouded cliff-hanger record Death & Love Pt 1 (released earlier this year) and saw the band returning to their sun-soaked indie-pop ‘T-Shirt Weather’ era.
Comprised of Kieran Shudall (lead vocalist and guitar), Joe Falconer (guitar), Sam Rourke (bass) and Colin Jones (drummer), Circa Waves have been on an extensive UK-tour in support of their sixth record, their more recent stop being Liverpool’s esteemed Eventim Olympia (with previous performers including The Beatles and New Order).
The first support act of the evening came in the shimmering-indie wrapped package of Manchester four piece Corella. With multiple festival appearances and sold-out headline tours in their repertoire, their set demonstrated their exemplary discography, from the infectious percussion of ‘Barcelona Girl’, to the more stripped back, ballad performance of ‘Drifting’.
Following, were the woozy intonations of strutting indie-pop royalty Peace. Having been dissolved from a quartet to a duo between 2018’s Kindness Is The New Rock And Roll, and their off-streaming services record Utopia in 2023 Peace are continuing to impact the music scene as just a duo. With their cuts ‘Lovesick’ and ‘1998 (Delicious)’ soundtracking many a teenage coming-of-age summers in the mid 2010’s, the Koisser brothers are proving they’re industry mainstays.
Floating through the climactic ‘Bloodshake’, infectious and love-lorn ‘Wraith’, and the mesmerising ‘California Daze’. Despite the glaring and surprising omission in their performance of recent release ‘Swimming With Dolphins’, Peace’s short-but-sweet set was drenched in nostalgia and offered a delightful glimpse back at indie-days-gone-by.
From the early stylings of ‘Fossils’ to the overt positivity of ‘Jacqueline’, and stadium ready ‘American Dream’ Circa Waves’ set explored all corners of their discography, and gave a performance rife with energy. Perfectly preceded by their incredible support acts, Circa Waves were welcomed onto the stage by rife and ready fans before quickly delving into the summery and high-octane ‘Do You Wanna Talk’, complete with a confetti cannon.
Succinctly paired in the set, the tracks whos’ titles satisfyingly almost tell a tale (despite being half a decade apart), ‘Let’s Leave Together’ and ‘Move To San Francisco’ both feature upbeat instrumentation and softer vocals from Kieran – standing out as lush earworms.
Taking a break from their more recent releases to step back a decade into the depths of break-out album Young Chasers, ‘Fossils’ was met with an abrupt eruption from the crowd as they joined Kieran on vocals for “The one day I want something I just can’t get / I’m a long way from home”.
A collaborative effort with Alfie Templeman, ‘Lemonade’ was a welcome feature of the evening. Despite not featuring on either of the act’s records around that time, ‘Lemonade’ holds its own as an infectious track that translates incredibly live.
Arguably their most well-received track off Different Creatures, ‘Fire That Burns’, closed the main set of the evening. Eruptive guitars welcomed the cut before the track burst into an energetic delivery at the one minute mark.
In an all-too expected re-emergence, Circa Waves’ encore opened with Never Going Under’s ‘Carry You Home’, quickly followed by the melodic and soaring vocal intonations of ‘Be Your Drug’.
Famously, no set is complete without a band’s most recognisable cut, this indie-outfit’s being ‘T-Shirt Weather’. Welcomed with an excitable roar from the crowd ‘T-Shirt Weather’ was the perfect way to round-off the evening. In all, Saturday March 1st at Liverpool’s Olympia was an unforgettable night of indie-pop royalty.
Words + photos by Lana Williams
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