Gig review: The Deep Blue at The Bodega, with Katie Keddie and Headgazer.

Local singer-songwriter Katie Keddie opened the evening with a set of introspective folk tunes. She confessed to breaking her banjo during soundcheck, leaving her unable to play it on the night. But the crowd didn’t seem to mind, as she still charmed with songs such as crooked shoulder and better man, the latter dedicated to anyone from a broken home.

"He needs to tune, that means I need to say more things,” she said as Tom tuned his guitar, but instead she opted for a moment of “awkward silence,” which actually fitted the atmosphere of her set perfectly. 

Katie’s honest, often playful, banter continued throughout the set, as she admitted that she often brings two guitars to avoid having to tune, but didn’t do this tonight, leaving her having to tune on stage. She also revealed that she did have merch but she’d forgotten to bring it with her, something that also happened the last time she played The Bodega, too.

Katie’s humility, personality and performance carried a warmth that immediately drew the crowd in, as she went on to perform hydroplane, a song about her guitarist Tom being an awful driver, and bad guy, which is about feeling anxious when at parties. 

The energy in the venue shifted as Headgazer took to the stage, with a shoegaze-infused sound which saw them swapping between their two vocalists throughout the set. They had minimal crowd interaction, likely due to the nerves of playing such a fan-favourite venue, but they created a compelling atmospheric quality with their performance. Despite a few technical issues - such as a momentary struggle with getting sound from one of their guitars mid-set - their sound came together throughout the set, as they closed with Loner Melon, after casually plugging their Instagram username for fans to go and follow. It was a brief but intriguing set from the band, who recently relocated to Nottingham, so we hope to hear more from them soon. 

When The Deep Blue took the stage, the venue transformed. Paper lanterns lit up the stage and surrounding area, creating an intimate and ethereal atmosphere. The band opened with Water water, from their new EP Honeylove, setting a tone of immersive beauty. Drummer Sophie humorously shrugged off any need for a microphone, as her energetic drumming (and natural projection of her voice) more than spoke for itself. Tonight, she kept it cool with a pint, rather than the shots she was drinking at the previous show on the tour when she was celebrating her birthday - but her presence was still undeniable throughout.

As always, The Deep Blue’s set had a concept, and this time, it was a story of a snowbound lock-in within the venue, a journey that transitioned from dusk to dawn. Honeylove provided the backbone for the show, with tracks from the new release leading the charge at the start of the set. Cynical, which the band still hasn’t figured out who Niamh wrote it about, seamlessly segued into Orange is the only colour, which was followed by Lemon Tears, a deeply personal song for Niamh about someone special who is no longer in her life, adding layers of intimacy to the evening.

Soon, they reached the ‘midnight’ stage of the show. Guitarist Georgia quipped, "I’m usually in bed by this point," but the band's excitement was evident as they ventured into more playful moments, like a raucous game of Never Have I Ever (questions included: eaten kiwi skin, not scanned an item at supermarket, snooped through someone’s phone, called your partner by the wrong name, and told someone ‘I love you’ without really meaning it). Songs like I’m the Colour, You’re the Line saw the band side-stepping in harmony, with this country line-dancing adding further playfulness to the set. 

The next song was a new one by Georgia, In the Night, written during a sleepless night to remind herself to be kinder to herself. She invited the crowd to harmonise, splitting us into three sections and joking that they were contenders for a national UK The Deep Blue choir competition. Another new track, Rosie, told the bittersweet tale of a friend who falls in love and starts to drift away, but with an unexpected twist - Niamh revealed the song was actually about a horse named Rosie, who couldn’t be separated from her lover Levi - not even by the electric fences which were put up between their fields to separate them. 

The set took a bit of a colder turn for the ‘wee small hours’ section, which featured two original winter tracks, Frosty Thorns and Now Falls Snow. Then, the final stage of the night - ‘dawn’ - saw a mixture of catharsis and reflection. It began with the poignant moment Somebody’s Daughter, a reminder that while a live gig is a time to boogie and have a good time, it’s also a space to reflect and talk about important issues going on around the world in terms of women’s rights. This track is particularly meaningful to the band, having appeared on the Glastonbury playlist, when the band made their debut at the festival earlier this year. 

This was followed by You Made Your Bed, Go and Lie in It, which reflected on a friend of Niamh’s who has just got engaged to someone who isn’t a good influence on her. Then, a cover of Fleetwood Mac's I Wanna Be With You Everywhere was slotted seamlessly into their own original song, Chance, where drummer Sophie, who started her career in a metal band, truly got to shine. They closed their main set with the track He Said She Said, thanking the crowd for braving the fictional snowstorm to attend the show. 

As the time for an encore came around, the band finished with How About It?, the perfect conclusion to what was a marathon set from start to finish. The Deep Blue’s winter tour was a testament to the power of live performance: raw, real, and deeply connected with both the music and the people they share it with. Whether the snowstorm outside was real or not, it’s clear the audience didn’t want to leave.

The Deep Blue performed at The Bodega on 13th December 2024, with support from Katie Keddie and Headgazer.

@thedeepblueband