As the UK indie scene becomes an evermore overlooked industry, due to a rise in illegal downloads making it harder for bands to make ends meet & the rise of other genres, such as grime & house stealing headlines and hearts, it can seem like a lifetime ago that the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks and Franz Ferdinand took Britain’s small venues by storm.
Whilst standing in the crowd of London’s Heaven, however, it is easy to forget that I am stood in a venue with a capacity of just 1850; with a sea of hardcore Sundara Karma fans creating the atmosphere of a huge festival, singing along to the group’s singles as if they were anthems shared between friends for years.
The Reading group were greeted with the enormous welcome that the atmosphere had promised and opened their set with some of their strongest tracks, including Run Away and A Young Understanding- instantly animating the crowd and setting a mission statement for the rest of the set.
Midway through the performance, The four-piece engaged in onstage conversation, with frontman Oscar Lulu asking his bandmates “Have we ever done a cover as Sundara Karma”, before giving the crowd an exclusive, seamless rendition of the Luther Van Dross disco hit Never Too Much.
Many fans would agree that Oscar’s icy persona leaves fans thirsty for some rock & roll abandon during the band’s sets- a thirst that was quenched by the singer ditching his guitar to interact with the audience during early hit Vivienne.
Support act INHEAVEN also gave a performance worthy of a joint-headline credit, with the Embankment venue filling up early with fans singing along to the group’s handful of released singles.
The London group combine the hooks and melody of britpop, with the snarling rawness of gas grungy Pixies tribute act, helped by the harmonic backing vocals from bassist Chloe Little. It is no wonder that Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas snapped INHEAVEN up to his record label, Cult.
Although both acts are yet to release debut albums, this concert was a stark reminder of just how good British indie music can be, with heartfelt songs about romance coupled with mosh pits and crowd-pleasing singles that you simply cannot attain in any other genre. Neither Sundara Karma nor INHEAVEN are making strides in experimental new movements, or challenging the perimeters of their sector, but they do perform authentic, animated & accessible music that reminds the listener just how perfect an institution the British indie music scene can be.
Check out our pictures of Sundara Karma’s set here
@mattganfield