Representing the UK’s shoegaze scene is Northampton trio thistle., riding high off the release of their acclaimed, genre bending new EP Backflip and appearances at Outbreak and All Points East. Careening wildly between the sounds of alternative heroes as far apart as Nirvana, Wisp and Yard Act, this young three-piece clearly have a long career ahead of them.
Blazing through a half hour of songs that hide a catchy pop-rock core under layers of dense fuzz, thistle. give far more energy to their stage show than their laid-back shoegaze sound would suggest with guitarist Cameron Godfrey and bassist Judwyn Rushton marching across the stage to face off in the middle. Weaving unexpectedly strong hooks in and out of layers of fuzzy guitars, this young Northampton band are bound to find fans among the bands whose sounds they’re building upon.
At 7:30 sharp, Planning For Burial take to the stage, full riffs blazing, surrounded by pedals and ready to deliver an electrifying performance. This one-person band uses loops and a backing track, creating a sound that perfectly blends shoegaze and slowcore vibes with a hint of proto-noise rock reminiscent of the greats of the genre such as Big Black. The crowd in Brighton is clearly enjoying what Planning For Burial has to offer, and it’s hard not to agree with them. As the set progresses, the intensity grows, allowing the whole Concorde 2 to become fully immersed in the melancholic world of Thom Wasluck.
Whoever at The Flenser suggested to book them as the opener for this tour deserves a raise, a drink of their choice, and a handshake. The only drawback to a great opening act is that the sound quality of the venue, which feels muffled at times and very messy, causing the audience to miss some of Wasluck’s vocals. Nonetheless, if slowgaze is a thing, then it is clearly here to stay, and we have Planning For Burial to thank for it.
After an electric appearance on Clwb Ifor Bach’s main stage at Noizzefest earlier this year as well as a sold out headline show downstairs in 2025, Bristol’s Knives return to the iconic venue opening for one of hardcore punk’s most exciting names. With the announcement of their second album NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN and their new single ‘Vermillion’, Knives have become one of the UK’s most watched post-punk bands.
Knives open up with new single ‘Vermilion’ and ‘PHD’ before flying into half an hour of hits. Frontman Jay Schottlander oozes effortless cool through singles like ‘Doppelganger’ and ‘The Dagger’, delivering over the top screams and swaggering hip-hop inspired bars while rolling cigarettes for after their set. Ending on ‘Eat Thy Neighbour’ and an announcement that they’d be back on the same stage for a headline show in March, the Bristol six-piece are sure to have made plenty of new fans with their hyperactive live set.
Having only released three albums between 1999 and 2022, it’s safe to say a few in the room would be familiar with the French openers, Gros Mené. Clearly the minds behind AdP were big fans of these underground mainstays, bringing them along for their first-ever UK shows. Given the abject lunacy of tonight’s headliners, one might argue that they’re playing it safe with a rather direct, hard-hitting, bluesy stoner rock act to please a bunch, but it’s hard to dismiss the strength of the grooves over the course of the thirty-minute and six-song introduction to Gros Mené. The band would fit right at home on the bill for something like Desertfest, laying deep, hard rock stoner riffs with plenty of emotive psychedelic tinged solos and driving rhythms paired with chunky riffs. The band are also treated to the benefit of crystal clear sound and an open audience who are vibing with the French three piece even though it may not be what they expected. Barrelling through a handful of cuts from their three albums and using sparse time for thank yous for the warm welcome, it’s a tight, concise and hard hitting thirty minutes of a longstanding hidden gem of the French rock scene.
The Fierce and the Dead have been doing their thing for fifteen years now, over the course of five studio albums, five live albums and four EPs. Their current tour is to celebrate the release of Regional Theatre, the second album with bassist Kevin Feazey providing vocals. On this particular night, they’d chosen Downstairs at the Dome, an archetypical grassroots venue that really suits the grounded, down-to-earth demeanour of the band. As venues go, there’s everything a band needs. There’s a stage. A bar. A spot for merch. A big open space for your fans. That’s it. No elaborate sets, no laser shows, no animatronics or flamethrowers. Just the fans, the band and the music.
Kicking things off was a delightful new discovery, Teiger, made up of the trio of Talie Rose Eigeland ‘s dreamy vocals and guitar, Phillip Eldridge-Smith’s bass playing (and his simply amazing mane of hair), and Jon Steele’s pounding drums backing everything up. Bringing a taste of the psychedelic to the darkness of the Dome, Teiger entranced the audience with Talie Rose Eigeland’s gorgeous, breathy vocals leading the way. A little bit Bjork, a little bit Tori Amos, and entirely herself. Teiger mostly played their own tracks from self-titled debut album including ‘Hydra’, ‘The Law of Diminishing Returns’ and ‘Thinnest Wall’. There was a brief dip into Portishead‘s catalogue with a lovely cover of ‘Glory Box’ which they promise they will stop playing. Next gig. Maybe the one after.
Opening slots for gigs are a funny one; usually you don’t expect a support act to quite literally take over not just the gig but the whole venue. Kakihara took it upon themselves to take up more space than the crowd, the guitarists getting up in everyone’s grill and running more laps than Kriss Akubusi.
Vocalist Keith Muddiman, making moves of his own, boogeying like it is 1999 between his viciously delivered lines. Declaring at one point, “These are the most outstanding beat downs you have heard in your entire life,” and he’s not far off from being wrong. Kakihara is technical as hell, Dillinger but heavier somehow, and definitely trying to recreate chaos like The Chariot. Playing tracks off their 2025 EP Love Songs, Pt. 2 and more, it will be exciting to see what this Scottish whirlwind comes up with next.
