Everyone loves a record store gig, especially when it’s Blondes. On a warm Wednesday evening at Rough Trade Nottingham, following the release of their new EP ‘In Separation’, Liverpool indie-pop band Blondes take the stage. This is a part of their intimate headline tour (their very first one in fact) and for their first tour, they’ve smashed it.
Let’s start with supports, always important as they have the huge responsibility of getting the crowd ready for the main event. First off was Derby band The Public Eye. The crowd were greeted with classic indie sounds that we all know and love, slamming the government and all else wrong with the world, a perfect amount of anger to get the crowd riled up and energetic. Frontman Joey Greener spoke to the crowd as if he’d known them all for years, making them super comfortable - being completely honest with us, stopping to talk about needing a haircut, made for a truly personal performance.
Second on was crysometimes, who made the energy of Phoebe Bridgers and artists along those lines float around the room. Beautiful songs with truly meaningful lyrics are exactly what is popular in the indie/folk music scene at the moment, and they delivered. Vocalist Megan was an effortless live performer, like they were the only one in the room, giving the crowd an ethereal experience. The only complaint here is that the crowd mellowed out before the main act: a sort of confusing wave of emotions here as the crowd moved from hyped, to really serene and back again. It would have made more sense to swap the two supports around so the crowd are warmly welcomed into the venue and the show as a whole. The turnout was great for both bands though; it was truly heart-warming to see people supporting smaller artists and giving them the recognition and praise they deserved.
However, it should be noted that all acts came on right on time and there were only 20-minute gaps between the performers, not long to wait at all! Rough Trade is the truly the most cosy and homely venue there is in Nottingham, the LED lights on the stage set even mimicking that of a roof of a house, making artist and crowd alike feel like one huge family under one roof. The lighting on the stage was comfortable and intimate, a contrast of reds and blues with white overhead lights perfectly lit up the artists on the stage. No flashing or distractions of any sort, highlighting the main event perfectly.
Blondes are experts at intimate gigs. Frontman Will and guitarist Alex know how to talk to a crowd. It can be overwhelming performing for a small audience as they actually listen, whereas larger audiences usually just talk amongst themselves. Constantly thanking the audience for their continued support and asking what they thought of the new EP, Blondes are another band who talk to the audience as if they are long friends. Filled with laughing, joking and interacting with individuals, it was reminiscent of a stand-up comedy show.
The sound was perfect. I was stood right next to the speaker, and it wasn’t too loud or too quiet. The guitars were soft and not grating to the ear at all, Will displayed his vocal range really well, holding the notes and reaching all the higher parts with zero effort. The final result sounded just like the original recordings of the songs.
Alex sang ‘Minimum Wage’ for the crowd after explaining the simple but memorable story behind the song: really really really not wanting to go to work one day, and then later shouted out his old boss who was attending the show which gave the crowd a good laugh. It’s refreshing to see two different vocalists on a song and to also see other members of the band interacting with the crowd instead of just one person all the time. Blondes all have a habit of talking and laughing to each other while on stage, reminding us that they all are best friends, proving they have excellent chemistry as a band which makes more of a show to watch than just listen to. The audience are involved in these jokes, like they’re being welcomed into the friendship group.
They also took a moment to shoutout a producer who worked on one of their songs with them, ensuring they got the recognition they deserve.
The set was the perfect length, allowing the band to play all of their old classics and gifting the crowd with the new songs.
I’d love to see Blondes do even bigger tours in their future because that’s definitely where they’re heading.
