The Bodega was packed to the brim with fans ready to welcome Sea Girls for their first ever performance in Nottingham. Full of energy, vigour and passionate about entertaining, this four-piece started their UK tour how they mean to go on.
A London-based indie rock band, Sea Girls are growing rapidly, as reflected through the enthusiasm of the Notts crowd. Chanting ‘Sea Girls’ in between songs and belting out the lyrics, the audience got involved from the get go. Leader singer Henry Camamile seemed to feed off the crowd’s gusto, maintaining a strong stage presence throughout. The chemistry between the four guys was also clear, as they joked about deciding which song to play next.
“He abandoned the stage completely to dance amongst the crowd”
One of my personal favourites was their new single ‘All I Want To Hear You Say’, with mosh pits and bouncing galore, this infectious, feel-good track captured the essence of the band. Camamile’s vocals soared through ‘Adored’, a track with a slower pace and expressive lyrics. At one point during the show he abandoned the stage completely to dance amongst the crowd, and later crowd surfed as promised in our earlier interview.
‘Call Me Out’ was another stand-out for me, Sea Girls’ very first single, the band’s journey began with this banger. They have come a long way since then, and I was impressed by their ability to pour their heart and soul into performing the music, as well as interacting with the audience in a fun and familiar way. It felt like watching a group of your friends doing their thing on stage, which was great to watch.
“The band thrived off the space”
The Bodega was the perfect venue for a band like Sea Girls. Intimate and immersive, but spacious enough to hold an eager crowd, the band thrived off the space. It was obvious that they were genuinely grateful for everyone’s attendance, mingling with the audience after the show. Full of potential, I look forward to hearing more from Sea Girls with the imminent release of their debut album.
8/10
Sophie
“I feel that they may never outgrow the small venues”
Whilst the size of the Bodega suited them, I feel that they may never outgrow the small venues. Whilst they had great stage presence and chemistry, there were flaws in the performance. Camamile seemed to be straining to hit the high notes and often missed them altogether. Despite this, in the mid-range, his voice had a rich tone.
Sea Girls have a variety of different styles between songs which is refreshing compared to the monotony of other indie bands such as The Hunna and Catfish and the Bottlemen (not to discredit them). Their range reminded me of another band of a similar size – Spector. However, I feel that compared to the deeply profound lyrics by Spector’s Fred MacPherson, Sea Girls’ lyrics are rather one dimensional.
Overall, I enjoyed the performance, but it is clear that Sea Girls have a long way to go before they reach the heights of the biggest indie bands today. It seems that if they want to keep up with other upcoming artists such as Fickle Friends and Pale Waves they have a lot of work to do. Having said that, I hope they can and I look forward to seeing them again.
6/10 – James
Sophie Hunt & James Hurman
Featured image courtesy of Sophie Hunt.
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