Celebrating the release of their new album Different Creatures, British indie-rock band Circa Waves performed to an enraptured sell-out crowd at the Forum, Kentish Town.
The atmosphere was brimming with excitement as the dry ice floated atop the hazy vacuous stage. A moment later, when the Liverpudlian four-piece ran on, the cheers were deafening, louder than the notes of the first song Wake Up, from the latest record. The flurry of entrancing light pulsing from the stage was hypnotic as the band played Get Away, So Long and Lost It, from their preceding album Young Chasers. The overwhelmingly forceful drum and bass rhythms created a mesmerising urge to cheer, which is exactly what the crowd did, the response said it all: this quartet is wildly entertaining.
The remainder of the night was a mixture of new and old, the highlights were Young Chasers, Fossils and Stuck in My Teeth. The standing crowd at the front were jumping, arms raised, and the once seated upper rows were on their feet. This boisterous fans even sung entire verses unaccompanied by frontman Kieran Shudall, displaying Circa Wave’s unanimous recognition as one of the UK’s premier current rock groups.
However, a modest distinction can be drawn between “sound” and “noise”, between a distinct tone and a blanket of undistinguishable noise, and Circa Waves seemed to side with the latter in an attempt to project to the large and voluminous theatre. Amidst the dazzling quality of production and lighting, it seems the payoff was the quality of music projected, and with modern progress in audio spatial technology; there is no longer an excuse for this other than not wanting to be heard.
Overall, there is arguably no doubt of Circa Waves pre-eminence as a top tier band, who’s quick rise to national fame has shocked and stunned the indie-rock industry. It is at this stage that they really get to decide which path they will choose to embark upon, and based upon the crowds reaction at the Forum, they will be guaranteed a fawning audience wherever they choose to play.
★★★★★
Bill Kacir Photos: Filippo L’Astorina
For further information about Circa Waves and future events visit here.
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