Gig review: The Early November at The Bodega

I arrive at my favourite venue in Nottingham, The Bodega, ahead of time, welcomed by the sound of excited gig-goers reminiscing about the first time they saw sensational US rock band The Early November perform in Nottingham in the early 2000s. Twenty years on, times may have changed but the explosive energy remains the same.

Opening with a jazzy, upbeat cover of Metallica’s Enter Sandman, support act Mark Rose has the crowd locked in for a wild performance infused with nostalgia and sentiment. He sets the tone for the rest of the night with his high-powered performance, playing tracks from his band, Spitalfield, including Texa$ With A Dollar Sign.

With the stage then silent, the crowd hurry to claim the best spots on the dancefloor, or grab a last drink at the bar as they discuss who they were 20 years ago. With a few minutes before the headliners take to the stage the dance floor is tightly packed, a room of over 200 people all waiting to be taken back in time.

The first sound of their set is a floaty guitar riff that sees the whole crowd start to sway, until it stops suddenly with lead singer, Ace Enders, laughing in a bashful way as he says “Temperatures and guitar strings don't go together but please trust me I am a professional, and speaking of temperature this one is Everything's Too Cold... But You’re So Hot.”

The band pulsates with energy and genuine joy, their enthusiasm for creating these moments through their music palpable. The Bodega is quite a small, intimate venue, but the band make the most of the space and gives an arena-style performance, with Mike Carney on guitar climbing the speakers on the side of the stage when performing The Empress and heading into the crowd with Enders for Sunday Drive. This connection with the crowd really creates a sense that we're not only watching a performance but are also part of it, becoming honorary members of the lineup.

“I'm having fun, thank you all so so much. For coming down and joining us. Tonight you have been the guest vocalists and Nottingham you sound beautiful," exclaims Enders.

The band may make seriously good music but they don't take themselves too seriously. Their debut studio album The Room's Too Cold, is now 22 years old and although fans can still resonate and reminisce through its sound, it is also a snapshot of who the band were at the time.

Their song names are intriguing, too: such as Sesame, Shesame simply because of Sesame Street and the bonus factor of it rhyming, and Fluxy inspired by the flux capacitor from Back to the Future, despite the song bearing no resemblance to the classic 1985 film.

The music of The Early November is really like an audible youth serum. Between the songs I hear murmurings of people's conversations: “I remember when I saw them at The Quarry”, and “I feel like I am 15 again”. Perhaps their song Fluxy is closely related to the flux capacitor in more ways than just the name, as though the gritty guitar riffs, booming drum beat and Enders’ soaring vocals become the Dolorean transporting the crowd to the glory days: transforming the new dancefloor of The Bodega to their messy teenage bedrooms full of band posters and angst. Through music, we are reminded that we are still in the glory days; we are still dancing despite it all.

Performing fan favourites including Baby Blue, The Mountain Range in My Living Room and Ever So Sweet (which is sung so loud by the crowd it's almost difficult to hear Enders), the band captivates with their lyricism, booming energy and ability to make both fans and newcomers feel connected.

This is especially true when the final section of the set is in the hands of the audience. “What would you like to hear?” asks Enders. A cacophony of sound rises from the crowd, I can just about decipher certain words when a woman at the front distinctly screams Hair. Like a beacon of hope, she hoists the 2006 album The Mother, The Mechanic, and the Path on vinyl high into the air. So of course the catchy chorus and poignant lyrics are belted in an eruption of energy.

Carney the guitarist, who has been bouncing around like a spring all over the set, chooses the next song Tell Me Why and he sure tells us why.

“I need to go nuts, I need to shred my solo,” he says... and shred his solo he sure does as he leaps into the crowd to perform. The crowd then choose banger Outside for which Enders has to keep tuning his guitar.

“I can't keep this thing in tune I’m about to quit... I'm just kidding, never, ever!"

But through snapped guitar strings, intricate tuning and banger after banger, The Early November remind us that something does not have to be perfect to be enjoyable. As long as it is authentic, full of energy and has a lyric that strikes a chord - or a riff - with a reason to dance then that is really the point: to move, to remember and to live in the music.

The night ends on I Want to Hear You Sad and Every Night's Another Story. Both songs scream resilience in the face of adversity, a reminder that whatever you are going through, you are still enough as yourself. What a feeling to end a Tuesday evening with.

The Early November performed at The Bodega on 21st January 2024, with support from Mark Rose.

@theearlynovember