Taking to the stage first is Newcastle-hailing Glastines, who quickly make an impression on the residents of Steel City with their fast tempo indie anthems. Frontman Tom Backhouse imparts those juicy contextual details which make live sets so much more enjoyable, with one fact in particular sticking out: “this one’s about a fat ginger guy who used to be in our band”. The song that follows is a scathing character assassination, and whilst a part of you feels like you ought to feel bad, it’s impossible not to love it – a bit like watching complete strangers fall over in public. Although Glastines are first on the bill, there are plenty of people who have come down early to catch the support (for a change) and I’m 100% certain they’re all glad they did.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/183332742″]
Glastines’ standout track ‘I Don’t Mind’, which is a heady concoction of riffs and angsty vocals, is available free from their SoundCloud – which you’d be silly to turn down.
Next to the stage are Marsicans, a four piece from Leeds who manage to warm up the crowd even more with their jangly indie pop, which sounds like Dog is Dead (renamed D.I.D) and Little Comets – except you can actually understand what frontman James is saying from the get-go, so they’re arguably already better than the latter.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/46046189″]
Incontestable standout is a catchy little number called ‘Terrapin’, with delightfully clever opening lyrics, “I’ve had enough of your Hallmark greetings / displaying no original thoughts or feelings” and a simplistic, yet effective chorus “Te-te-te-terrapin, why’s your shell so hard to get in?” which has the audience beginning to ease out of that awkward standing-and-bobbing-politely routine, to genuine dancing and moshing.
The venue is humming with energy by the time that The Fontaines take to the stage, and with glowsticks and fairylights adorning the venue there’s a magical atmosphere which comes to a head as the headliners launch into their raucous live set. The crowd are given a taste of the EP scheduled for release in autumn later this year with two new tracks, ‘Your Coat’ and ‘Masquerade’. Notoriously, playing new songs at gigs can go one of two ways – with the crowd embracing the new material or standing stock still, blank looks on faces as they text – but it’s safe to say that the Fontaines nailed it. Circle pits formed at one point, and there was widespread joviality across the room. A beach ball and inflatable orca were hurled from one end of the room to another as the band raced through their setlist, a few tuning issues aside. Swigging from a 2 litre bottle of Pepsi, the look on frontman Joe Parson’s face as he surveyed the sea of fans before him said it all: 1/3 disbelief, 1/3 overwhelming gratitude and 1/3 ecstasy – the band love what they do, which is why their live shows are so great to get to be a part of.
One highlight was ‘Two To Tango’ – from the Santiago Skyline EP – thanks to the accompanying hand actions to the lyric “it takes two to tango”, as well as the frenetic drumming of Oliver Clark. A further standout was the track we were all there to hear, lead single ‘1984’ from the upcoming EP.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K21DNXhqsaA&w=740&h=422]
There was widespread chanting of “Biiiiig Brother’s watching youu” as this track neared its climax; an impeccably constructed melody which fits perfectly with the chase in the accompanying music video – it’s fast, unrelenting and infectiously catchy. Live, it sounds even better as the audience surge forwards in a tidal wave of kinetic energy. The addition of Ellie Rockliff on trumpet and Jo Woodcock on saxophone give The Fontaines’ live set that little bit more oomph, helping The Fontaines to stand out from the crowd in a sea of indie bands. As if the band themselves needed any more of a signal that their audience was having an absolute whale (orca?) of a time, widespread calling for an encore invited one last song: ‘Amanda’.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoN_XAPJoGg&w=740&h=422]
The track takes Vampire Weekends’ upbeat rhythms; calypso-style beat and fuses it with a vocal akin to The Crookes’ Daniel Hopewell and boy, did it invite bedlam and bring the night to a riotous conclusion.
The Fontaines are undoubtedly one of the best live bands the Sheffield music scene has to offer up, and we expect big things from them in the rest of the year.
Words by Beth Kirkbride
Photos by Matt Dennis