Gaoler’s Daughter at Barfly

Gaoler’s Daughter rocked out Saturday night, 23r^dof June at Barfly, London.  The small space upstairs was full for Gaoler’s Daughter’s performance.  They didn’t waste time and immediately got the crowd into their music. 

The band consists of four members: John Sterry at the vocals, Alfie Ambrose on bass, Alex Mahood on guitar, and Ben Hutchinson on drums.  Gaoler’s Daughter has its own distinct sound as an indie rock band, has an interesting story and has come a long way since the band came together.  They started out rehearsing in an abandoned toilet factory in South London.  Far from that segment in their career, Gaoler’s Daughter continues to play exciting gigs.

The band played spectacularly all night.  They had the entire crowd into the music.  Whether it was the heads nodding, or people jumping around, one thing was certain, the audience was impressed with them.  The end of each song always concluded with a loud applause from the crowd.  One of the highlights from the show was when Gaoler’s Daughter played St. Peters.  Released on 2^nd October 2011, St. Peters was a huge hit for the band.  It was one of their better-known tracks and was easily one of the crowd’s favourites.  Another one was the hit song How Do You Know, released on 19^th March 2012, which really had the crowd going.  It began with a mysterious approach by the sound of guitars.  It was intriguing and set up the song with a suspenseful aspect to it.  The hook was amazing as well as the rest of the verses, and it was the most energetic the crowd became. People were jumping back and forth, up and down, and dancing for its whole duration.  It was undoubtedly the most memorable part of the show. 

Overall, Gaoler’s Daughter played a superb show at Barfly.  Sterry was captivating; with a great direction of melody, his uncommon voice makes the songs memorable.  Sterry also interacted well with the crowd by putting the stage’s limited space to very good use: when he wasn’t rolling his hand through his hair, he was bouncing all over the stage.  Seeing him jump around had a very contagious effect, and it passed well into the crowd.  But the entire band was right on point the whole night too, with Ambrose on bass and Mahood on guitar, doing their parts majestically.  Hutchinson, the drummer, was in the zone and capped off a great performance all around.  They communicated when they had to: whether it was a quick phrase or by body language, Gaoler’s Daughter assured they were in sync throughout the whole gig.  The only negative aspect about Gaoler’s Daughter performance was the duration: they were on stage for less than forty-five minutes.  Gaoler’s Daughter ended the concert with a slower tempo song, almost to stretch the night and give the audience a last minute of goodness.

Clifton Graves       

For more information and upcoming gigs, visit Gaoler’s Daughter’s website here. 

Watch Gaoler’s Daughter’s video How Do You Know here