Local post-punk trio Bloodworm round out the January blues with a sold-out Jamcafé show...
There's always a sense of low mood and energy as we sweep through January. Cold nights without the magic of Christmas to tuck us into night, January may seem more particularly dreary as we drag ourselves to the next end-of-month payday - but a particular January night at Jamcafé was nothing of the sort.
In fact, there was a feral sense of anticipation amongst the gig-goers in the casual yet funky decorum of cafe-bar, Jamcafé off Heathcoat St in Hockley. It was a night showcasing the very best of local talent in Nottingham, after all.
Before we got to show our trump cards however, we were enlightened with a bit of Mancunian spirit with English Dark wave quartet The Solution who, as it happened, got a lift from Manchester legend Clint Boon to the venue. Now that's arriving in style, eh? Their pent-up enthusiasm and Joy Division-esque expression set off the night in the right way.
Before too long however, we were treated to the great up-and-comers of Nottingham with The Rain Age, a stalwart indie-rock outfit unashamed to shake the very foundations of such a tiny, eclectic venue. The band are a no-brainer to listen for avid fans of early-career Kasabian and infectious The Sherlocks.
With nothing mic'd up upon stage, you would have certainly thought that the drums would've swamped all sounds up with its blaring thwacks, but the sound was brilliantly mixed within the venue walls, creating such a brilliant listen without having the overbearing use of ear plugs.
Then, we're hit with headliners Bloodworm, the venue ultimately rammed with avid fans, curious curators and excited concert-goers into what Nottingham is cooking up in terms of new music. A vampire fantasy of brooding post-punk litters their catalogue; as groove powerhouse Alone in Your Garden dredges up familiarity with Opus Kink without the filthy horns and Bloodlust, a warm afterburner from the likes of Swans cold cuts and Killing Joke.
The band coin the term "goth-something" for themselves and it actually works all the same. Throughout the trio's magnetic set, the crowd were rapturous with both familial favourites and potential new workings-out that we may hear more of later in the year.
After already performing at Rescue Rooms for Nottingham's Beat the Streets Festival this year and now selling out their first headline show in January, the band are expected to have a rather fulfilling 2024. The only thing grating is the band not having enough recorded material to listen to online. Sort it out, boys!
Bloodworm performed at Jamcafe on 31 January 2024
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