Considering all the incredible acts emerging out of the Nottingham music scene right now, you could argue that none have bigger momentum than alternative sister duo, ALT BLK ERA...
From huge festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and Boomtown over the summer, to being prominently featured by BBC Radio 1, Spotify and TikTok all in the last month, the buzz around teenagers Nyrobi and Chaya is steadily gathering. This all follows the release of their highly anticipated debut EP Freak Show back at the start of September, which received glowing reviews from the likes of NME and Distorted Sound. So, to find out just what all the fuss is about, we headed down to their EP launch party at Rock City this past weekend.
Before the headliners take to the stage though, they’ve assembled a couple of fantastic support acts to get the crowd suitably warmed up. First on the bill is fellow Notts rising stars Kelsey and The Embers, who more than make the most of their allotted time as they storm through their tracks Jaded, Angel, Hypothermia and Hannah. Kelsey Shaw’s soaring vocals and some blistering guitar riffs ensure they leave quite the impression on the sizeable audience, so much so that they even call the band back out for an encore once their planned set concludes. A brilliant performance that no doubt earned them a lot of new fans.
It sets up a tough act to follow, but West Midlands-based singer/songwriter/producer PleasePrettyLea shows she is up to the challenge. Full of natural charisma, insight into her struggles with ADHD and plenty of jokes about her troublesome Amazon-bought wig, she showcases her self-produced tracks Underneath My Bed, Spaced Out and Fleas In The Wood, as well as popular releases Chaotic and Shovelling Shit. She also mentions this is her first-time performing in Nottingham and I suspect after the warm reception from the audience, it won’t be her last.
However excellent the support though, this night firmly belongs to ALT BLK ERA who bring an arena-sized show to the intimate surroundings of Rock City Beta. Beginning their performance with some theatrical, synchronised choreography, they get some emphatic crowd participation early on to longtime favourites Oggy, Rockstar and Even If We’re Not : SOLAR, with their infectious energy spreading to a small mosh pit near the front of the stage. In-between the rowdy numbers, Misfits : LUNAR provides a special moment as the audience lights up the room with their phone torches, as Nyrobi dedicates the song to all her fellow outcasts.
It's a frantic first half that then sees the sisters leave the stage for a quick breather. They don’t leave the audience hanging though, as guitarist Alex and drummer Sam hold things down during their absence, turning the centre of the room into a frenzy when they launch into a seismic cover of Voodoo People by The Prodigy. The sisters then return to the stage to preview their unreleased Alternative K-Pop track Pirate Queen, with Nyrobi admitting “We’re a bit nervous about playing it, as the first time we ever performed it was earlier in soundcheck.” If they were nervous you wouldn’t be able to tell, as they proceed to blast through the performance with their ever-present confidence.
It perfectly sets up a colossal finale, which is kickstarted by a fiery performance of EP title track Freak Show. Before launching into forthcoming 2024 single Upstairs Neighbours, Nyrobi commands management at the back of the room to “Bring out the balloons, after all it’s a party!” As they bounce through the song on stage, a wave of giant black, white and orange balloons zip and whizz around the tiny room, with the audience smashing them back, forth and up into the air. It’s quite the sight to behold, and the balloons continue to fly about everywhere as the sisters conclude their set with a thunderous performance of their biggest single to date, I’m Normally Like This. Asking the audience to raise their middle fingers, Nyrobi defiantly states the song is a “big middle finger to anyone who’s ever tried to change you.”
It’s the perfect way to end the night, rubber stamping just why ALT BLK ERA are connecting with so many people right now. It’s not just the joyous force of their live shows, but also who they are and who they represent. They are quickly becoming the go-to voice for a new generation of misfits and the amazing thing is - at just sixteen and nineteen years old respectively - they’re still only just getting started.
ALT BLK ERA performed at Rock City Beta on 3 November 2023
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