Pentire, a four-piece band from Hertfordshire, bring their iconic post-jangle sound to a sold out night in Birmingham, for an explosive night of nostalgic indie, supported by local Coventry lads The Mucks.
We opened the evening with The Mucks whose classic Britpop sound certainly got the crowd warmed up for the rest of the evening. Their set gave us a flavour of both their newer and older tracks, showing us their impressive range of musical talent. The five-piece showed influences from the Arctic Monkeys, Catfish and the Bottlemen, as well as Blur in certain places. Some set highlights include their newest single ‘If I Believe’, with its catchy melody and spacey guitars, contrasted by its powerful drum sound; ‘This City’ which gave us the home-grown indie sound we all know and love; and my personal favourite was an unnamed track; a work in progress for the band. The beautiful acoustic song was a contrast to the rest of their set and despite it being an unfinished track, the strong vocals and quieter instrumentation conveyed a melancholic mood.
Lead singer, Micheal Dunn, seemed very at home centre-stage, performing half of the set holding a pint of Guinness, bringing home the vibe of sticky-floors; synonymous with a local indie scene. It’s clear that Dunn has a lot of passion for the music he makes and for me, that made him very enjoyable to watch perform, however, that same passion didn’t quite emanate from the rest of the band.
Everyone was here for Pentire and the excitement in the room was palpable; die hard fans taking their front row positions and singing their hearts out to their favourite band! Their set was truly mesmerising; the boys were having the best time and the whole room was hanging onto every note they played. There was not a single person in the room not dancing, singing or vibing; Pentire appealed to all markets, an impressive feat for any band as they effortlessly bridged the gap between “dark fruits indie” and what can be found in contemporary indie pop. Some set highlights include ‘Water’, a track from 2021, with a strong bass line, powerful lyrics – one of my personal favourites!; ‘Belly Dancer’, a cutesy fan favourite, written back in lockdown; and their final song, ‘Failure’ which was a fast-paced and erratic track, making for a high energy end to their impeccable set. Their new-wave, post-jangle sound seemed to have influences from Sundara Karma, the 1975 and the Academic; perfectly towing the line between arena filling anthems and sweaty basement hits.
Pentire have truly found the right combination between heartthrob indie and a classic rock sound. Their latest single ‘Don’t Let Your Love (Let You Down)’ marks a shift into a new era for the boys. They noticeably transition into the indie pop scene showing a new level of maturity and musicality from them. While initially feeling like a Reading and Leeds placeholder, Pentire have established themselves as a new heavy hitter in the indie scene, who wouldn’t feel out of place signed to Dirty Hit.