Once again The Sunflower Lounge finds itself to be the home of some of the most exciting underground and alternative music coming out of the Midlands. This time around we saw Alternative Rock band Loud Liars featuring support from Indie Pop act The White Lakes and Post-Punk band A Week Full Of Mondays.
Opening the night was A Week Full Of Mondays, a local Post-Punk/Indie band that started off with an already busy room. The two opening numbers leaned into the more Shoegaze influenced side of Post-Punk (Think ‘Nabakov’ by Fontaines DC). Masterfully played lead guitar featured some massive sounding ambient parts that really added to the dissonant wall of sound created by the rest of the band. As the set progressed the band moved more into the contemporary side of Indie music, something akin to Wunderhorse or Sam Fender. The drum parts were executed flawlessly and meshed incredibly well with the simple yet incredibly effective basslines as the entire band felt immensely tight and well rehearsed while still feeling organic and absolutely electric. The crowd was full and the band didn’t need to fight for their attention as their massive sound simply hooked everyone in attendance. Coming away from their set I was eagerly awaiting a second release as their set was not only impressive but every member felt effortlessly cool on stage.
Next on was The White Lakes. Going into their set I knew there was some local hype surrounding the band but I had no clue what they’d sound like. After they’d finished I best summarized it as Alternative Rock influenced Indie Pop (Imagine Pale Waves mixed with Don Broco). The 3 piece brought a next level of energy to the stage and made the small room feel double the size after just a couple of songs. Featuring a large use of backing tracks, the band used them tastefully to make up for the lack of a bassist and to add some well appreciated synth layers and pads to their songs. The lead guitar parts drew large comparisons to Adam Hann of The 1975 in both execution and sound, them that undeniable “Dirty Hit” sound. The vocalist had absolutely incredible stage presence and held the crowd in the palm of his hand. Even though the crowd had shrank slightly between sets, The White Lakes had an immensely dedicated local fanbase that were ready to sing, dance and have a good time at just a moment’s notice.
Finally we saw our headliners take to the stage and Loud Liars definitely brought that headliner energy. As the night went on I realized that the production value of each band increased as the gig progressed and it came to the forefront with Loud Liars’ performance. Arriving with their own lighting rig and crew, hopes were high for the relatively new band. Having seen a large degree of success on Spotify and Radio 1, the band had brought a small yet dedicated crowd that clung on to every note. Over the course of a 45 minute set Loud Liars showcased some impressive drum grooves, soaring lead lines and monstrous riffs alongside some catchy song writing, reminiscent of the lighter, more produced side of Bring Me the Horizon (Think Mantra or Ludens). While the band showed a great degree of technical proficiency and some confident showmanship on stage I occasionally felt like the backing tracks used took away from the performance at times. While it all combined to create a massive live sound I couldn’t help but feel that they were missing that ‘live’ feeling. I think it may be a case of the band being well prepared with production values that don’t quite match the venue’s aesthetic, however, if Loud Liars continue to see these current levels of success then it won’t be long before they bring their arena sized sound to far larger venues.
Joe Griffiths