With their tour fully underway, Eagulls take on the crammed basement of The Cookie; making for an intimate, intense and– above all else- sweaty live show.
Stevenage four-piece, Bad Breeding, fully fulfilled their role as support; going through all known measures to get the crowd going. Stripping, screaming in the audience’s faces and the guitarist attempting a form of jump off the lead singer’s back. Primarily, Bad Breeding are a band of aggression, their sound touches on many of the Hardcore greats- Black Flag, Minor Threat etc.- yet at points their vocals stretch towards the coarse, post-hardcore melody of At The Drive-In.
A frequent comment by bands is that it’s the kids at the front that make a gig lively, there being no exceptions tonight
Due to The Cookie’s size and shape the crowd filled the floor from wall to wall, Eagulls having to push their way through to take the stage. Cheers coming from the point they appear and into the first track, you could mistake this for a homecoming show, or at least a larger gig.
Although excitable from the start, it is the single ‘Tough Luck’ that really gets the crowd going. A frequent comment by bands is that it’s the kids at the front that make a gig lively, there being no exceptions tonight.
Running through a list of tracks including ‘Opaque’, ‘Nerve Endings’ and ‘Moulting’, the band kept the audience savagely energetic for the whole gig, luckily having a crowd which was largely self-fulfilling in terms of enthusiasm. George states they’ll be playing their last song and the accelerating chug of ‘Fester / Blister’ leaves the kids even more riled up.
The crowd’s undying excitement was justification, if ever it was needed, that an encore would be necessary tonight
Encores are coming under increasing criticism for being an expected part of the set, many now declaring they would rather get rid of the ‘fake encore’. However, the crowd’s undying excitement was justification, if ever it was needed, that an encore would be necessary tonight. Launching in to ‘Possessed’, enthusiasm peaked and a complete stage invasion was quick to develop. Just like encores, it’s nice to see a stage invasion these days which looks natural and unprovoked, even if it did come across as slightly too gleeful for Eagulls’ dark and angry style.
Eagulls are playing The Bodega on the 29th October
Ian Fillingham
Ian is listening to: The Good Ones – ‘Sara’
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