Live Review: Citizen, Drug Church and Viji | SWX, Bristol | 09/02/24
Citizen's sound may have shifted over the years, but tonight shows that the devotion of their fans has remained steadfast.
Viji
They may be a relatively original proposition for the majority here tonight, but it’s clear Viji play into the hands of Bristol tonight. Presenting a sound that harkens thoughts of halcyon turn-of-the-millennium alt rock whilst still sounding positively gritty, the alt-rock artist’s output and performance easily caters to the early arrivals gathered here tonight whilst complimenting their respective touring partners on the bill.
Frankly, it’s impossible not to visualise the sunlit days of youth whilst watching Viji’s short albeit sweet set, especially with their sound driving motifs of such pioneering acts of the 90’s. The laid back delivery of front person Vanilla Jenner doesn’t harm such a sentiment, especially with them donning a studded SnapBack and oversized studio headphones that almost look they arrived here tonight from the year 2004. Still, regardless of such aesthetics, Viji present a winning combination of sounds tonight. It’s evident many will be adding these to their personal playlists upon leaving this venue tonight. Hell, they might even found themselves in some home burned compact disc mixtapes too.
Photo Credit: James Gibbons
Drug Church
In odds to Viji’s laid back, placid sound, Drug Church are full throttle. Opening with the filthy adolescent rush of ‘Grubby’ prior to jumping into ‘Avoidarama’ and ‘World Impact’ with reckless abandon, the SWX goes from a fairly serene environment to a hotbox of pure energy and excitement with little transition period. Whilst countless words have been said about how brilliant Drug Church are live – one only has to read our previous reviews for example – the band are simply an absolutely joy and spectacle to behold tonight.
As they tear through the breathless ‘Tiresome’ and ‘Bliss Out’ with nothing but composure, they play with the kind of confident self-assurance that can only come with knowing full well the crowd before you are going to match you word for word and only compound your energy. And compound they do. Tonight the floor threatens to buckle under the bounce of the thousands in attendance during ‘Fun’s Over’ and it’s most impossible to hear the band over the shout alongs that ‘Unlicensed Hall Monitor’ and ‘But Does It Work?’ prove to be the catalysts for. It’s an incredible sight, a room full of pure energy and zeal with punters push putting, crowd surfing and strutting the most ridiculous walks possible together as one. In fact, should anyone not familiar with this act suddenly walk into this capacity room, they would most probably assume that this band are a legendary, once-in-a-generation artist within their genre. But given the reaction to the finale of ‘Weed Pin’, it appears Drug Church are set to gain such universally recognised accolades soon enough anyway.
Photo Credit: James Gibbons
Citizen
Now, sitting in the middle of the spectrum between Viji’s breezy alt rock delivery and Drug Church’s ceaseless tomfoolery are tonight’s headliners. Whilst their core sound has shifted and mutated across their discography, Citizen still remain a band that cause bedlam without much difficulty nor persuasion, something that becomes evident very quickly. Cuts taken from last year’s Calling The Dogs are met with nothing but borderline hysteria, with opener ‘Hyper Trophy’ being received by fans with countless pointed fingers and screamed voices that are set to sound weak and strained in the coming morning. ‘If You’re Lonely’ proves to be an early highlight of the set, with its pulsating synth backing track contrasting beautifully with the intense reception from the hundreds gathered here tonight.
But of course though, it’s the respectfully older songs from Youth that garner the most reaction. ‘How Does It Feel?’ and ‘Sleep’ sees the south west populace, now significantly older than when they where upon the original release of tracks, regressing back to an age full of angst, emotion, and seemingly, energy. Even one or two punters need to swiftly limber up before crowdsurfing like they would have done 10 years ago. However, it wouldn’t be true to say this energy remains consistent. As Citizen ebb and flow between the their more energetic cuts and their more modern material, the energy within the room fluctuates. Of course, such is the nature of energy, especially in a live environment such as this, but as the set progresses, the peaks and throughs a become deeper and taller.
But still, as a live entity, Citizen are fantastic as they strike a perfect balance between being organically loose and technically tight. The punchy delivery and striking presence of Mat Kerekes retains the audiences attention throughout, with the delivery of ‘Pedestal’ and ‘Blue Sunday’ ensuring the crowd hang onto every word with rapt diligence. But nothing highlights this more than ‘The Night I Drove Alone’, a track that a decade on, still incites the kind of singalong that shall be reining in the ears of everyone days after it takes place. As they close the night upon the ‘Death Dance Approximately’ and ‘I Want To Kill You’, even after these years and changes in style, Citizen are still a band clearly harbouring a devoted following, and tonight they showcase why.
Photo Credit: James Gibbons