Martha and Metronome? The perfect combination, according to Michael Prince...
The world is full of beautiful people, and tonight, they all seemed to be at Metronome. What was I doing amongst them?
I’d not seen either of the support acts, Brutalligators or bigfatbig, before, so I was keen to witness them. Sadly, Breakup Haircut had to cancel, but the remaining bands were fantastic.
Brutalligators burst on to the stage with two great songs, followed by the slower Helpless/Hopeless. Then, they switched up the pace again for What’s Next?, which was a much harder track.
Kill Your Heroes, the penultimate song, was a wild rant about 2016, while finale Don’t Talk To Me pushed their messages about awkwardness, politics and respect. I loved their white boots.
bigfatbig were on their first tour, of which tonight was the first night, so this was the first time many of us had seen them. They were as excited at the opportunity to perform as we were surprised at their amazing energy.
I’d neither seen nor heard of them before, but I left with an open heart for them. Their melodic punk-pop, occasionally fused with funk, really hit home tonight and they won many fans. Such a delight.
Then, it was on to Martha. New album, new merch, and a new post lockdown look. Bubbling with their raw energy, this band reach out to you and search for the love and return it to you tenfold.
One of my favourites in the indie scene, when I’d last seen them live, Naomi was carried bizarrely aloft on an inflatable dingy across the crowd.
This time round, they were slick, bright and bursting with energy; the crowd loved them. As JC said, “It’s been overwhelming. It’s good to be back.”
Support Martha with all your heart and never give in. This is community, survival and respect for others, and this message flowed through all the bands tonight.
Metronome was the perfect venue for them. It's an amazing place, where you are looked after from start to finish. Smart, luxurious and welcoming. I cannot think of an indoor venue that is as excellent as this.
The faithful turned out and it was great to see familiar faces again. All those beautiful people.
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