Since Sabaton in London just before lockdown… there’s a theme), but as he’s got older – he’s 17 now – he’s followed his own path musically and is into more mainstream material. When I pointed him at RØRY on Spotify with the offer of the gig, he replied quite rapidly with a “yes, please”.
The sold-out queue stretched down the artistically-decorated street where SWG3 is located, and I apologise to those waiting as we skipped it. Benefits of guest list! It did mean, importantly, that we got there in time to catch all of Lake Malice‘s set, and we are there to review all the bands after all.
The Brighton band were playing to a good few hundred by the time they got on stage, with more filtering in all the time. The last time we covered the band was in 2023, when Bracken saw them ing Vended – and he was impressed. I was, too, as were those around me. After their set I heard one man asking someone for the name of the band so he could look them up when he got home.
Lake Malice didn’t hold back, knowing they had a great audience in front of them and ensured that they were warmed up for the other two bands. A pit was opened… for people to conga around. With a guitarist slap bang in the middle because why not? Jumping occurred and hands were clapped. that many people here wouldn’t have been familiar with them, but they were there to entertain and entertain they did. Their short set featured around six or seven songs, and their energy throughout was impressive. If I recall correctly their final song was called “Bloodbath” and they really did save the best for last, leaving the audience genuinely wanting more.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Main were As December Falls who I’ve had in my sights for a while. We’ve popped a couple of their videos up, and Steve saw them headline in January last year. Did I mention that Lake Malice had energy? As December Falls put them in the shade and I mean on offence to our openers! Lead singer Bethany Curtis barely stood still, spending her time high-kicking and twirling around without sounding the least bit out of breath between songs. She even took time out to sign an autograph book that was handed to her from the audience.
Again a band I’m not hugely familiar with as far as the music goes, but I was there for the show and we got one! The pit was opened up once more, and there was little time to rest as the band rattled through a too-short set. “Angry Cry” and “Carousel” (I’m hopping onto Spotify to check names so I hope I have the right titles) were highlights of a great set, and I have a feeling a lot of the audience will be checking diaries with As December Falls telling us they’ll be back later in the year around the launch of their next album.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Slightly after 9pm and the lights went down for the headliner we’d all been waiting for, Rox Pink (formerly Roxanne Emery) better known as RØRY. With some simple background elements giving the set a vaguely cathedral-like appearance it was perhaps appropriate for the opening song to be “In The Bible”, a song about mental health, healing and the complications that arise through organised religion. Typically relatable to many in the audience (as are so many of her songs), it was as good a start as any and a chance to see the whole band in action and I’m going to cover them right up front.
Although RØRY is the name on the bill, she needs a good band around her to carry off the live show. A little look online didn’t help me find the names of the other three (touring?) band , but I want to ensure they get the credit they deserve. Obviously more than just “people with instruments” they were a huge part of the show and obviously very much into the songs and the ethos of the whole performance. Thank you to them for making an incredible evening all the better.
Update: Thank you to RØRY her lovely self for commenting on our Facebook post with the band’s names so that I can credit them!
- Pete Daynes – bass/keys
- Becca Robinson – drums
- Charlie Manning – guitar
A large amount of recent debut album Restoration made it into the set along with plenty of RØRY’s older material. RØRY herself is an amazing woman (as are so many) with a story which highlights “never give up”. She is obviously still overwhelmed by the success she has achieved and I hope this never ends for her as her emotions transfer to the audience in a way I don’t think I have ever experienced before. Between songs she is open about her feelings, her past, her present, her future. I have never seen an artist become so emotional on stage in my life, and I don’t think I have ever been affected by those emotions so much.
The songs notwithstanding (and they were great), the major selling point of this show was the atmosphere. Kristal nailed it in her description of that other gig with “shared therapy session” and it truly was. Each time RØRY paused between songs to talk about the reason behind the next one, there were people there who could relate. She cried, we cried. She laughed, we laughed. This was one of the most emotional roller coasters I’ve ever been on, and to have it happen at a gig was spellbinding. Towards the end, one lady in front of us was obviously releasing a lot, her shoulders rocking as she cried… and one of the security staff walked over and hugged her and held her while she let it out. In thirty five years of gig-going, I have never seen anything like this at a concert.
I could tell you about the fact that RØRY was carefully balancing blowing her nose and not shitting herself. I could tell you how damn good “SORRY I’M LATE” is live, or how much “One Drink Away” pulls at your heartstrings… especially when it is played by an artist who just appears at the sound desk after running off stage. Or how genuinely happy both RØRY and Bethany Curtis were to be singing “My Funeral Song” together. Or how two people got engaged mid-show. I could… but nothing compared to the overwhelming sensation of , companionship and togetherness than enveloped SWG3 for the ninety minute performance.
Looking through this review I spot that I have used “emotion” and “emotional” a lot but they are simply the best words for what I witnessed… no, what I was part of last night.
Tonight was a triumph not just for the bands featured but for the independent music movement as a whole. None of the acts has a label backing them, everything they do is “in-house” and look what they have achieved. One of the best live shows I have ever witnessed.
Ever.
Photos by Katie Frost Photography
[…] a show at the same venue barely a month ago. Lake Malice surprisingly didn’t mention their slot with RØRY, with them now elevated to main . They still had half an hour, and the set was similar to […]