From their first ever gig at The Bodega in 2017, to their biggest Nottingham gig to date at Motorpoint Arena, we witness easy life's monumental rise for ourselves...
It’s safe to say that this show was a big deal for easy life. Being from the East Midlands themselves, playing the biggest music venue in the region will be something they have dreamt off since the start of their careers, and even though part of the arena was cordoned off by a black curtain, a large number of people still crowded in to see them perform.
I had never previously listened to the opening act, Somerset duo Sad Night Dynamite, but by the end of the set they had me well and truly convinced of their appeal. Both members found themselves in the middle of mosh pits in the crowd during their short thirty minute set, with infectiously high energy that seems to be a defining trait of the up-and-coming UK music scene right now.
The track Psychedelic Views, which usually features rapper IDK, was a highlight, despite being the mellowest moment of the set. The track is tinged with the influence of the American emo-rap scene, and it almost felt as if time stopped completely as their autotuned harmonies echoed around the arena. You could sense, in that defining moment, that the pair of school friends were destined to make music together.
The use of a stage set-up or imagery that mimics a house seems to be a common and popular trope within music recently, with chart-topping artists like Harry Styles and The 1975 both using this concept, either on their album covers or during their live shows. easy life’s stage set-up also mimicked a house, to reflect the image that is depicted on the cover of MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…, their sophomore album that was released in the latter half of 2022.
Before frontman Murray Matravers even made his entrance, drummer Oliver Cassidy stole the stage… by falling straight off it while he greeted the crowd. But this wouldn’t be the only moment that Cassidy, better known as Cass, found himself in the middle of the crowd. He was put in charge of the mosh pit that formed during skeletons, crowd surfing back onto the stage afterwards. If you told me that he was the frontman of his own band in another life, I’d believe you without hesitation.
Since I last saw easy life perform live, Matravers has come into his own as a frontman, seeming more confident and comfortable than ever in front of an audience. Every band member wore a matching MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE… leather jacket over a white shirt and a red tie, and it was clear that they have worked on developing a defining image, made complete by Matravers’ striking bleach blonde barnet.
One highlight of the evening was receiving a sneak-peak into easy life’s upcoming release, a single called trust exercises that Matravers explained had been written five years ago but was never previously released. It was the perfect moment for him to ask the crowd to wave their phone torches in the air, eager to feel like Gary Barlow. “Only if you have enough battery – you’ve all got to get home after this,” he noted, and I felt honoured that he had acknowledged my poor iPhone 7’s quickly declining battery life.
Following Cass' adventure into the mosh pit, Matravers dove into the crowd himself during nightmares, somehow surfing all the way to the back of the arena while still managing to perform the track brilliantly. “Can’t stop, I’ve got a show to do,” he quipped as he walked back through the crowd to return to the stage for the final couple of songs of the setlist, ending on their first ever single pockets before an encore of FORTUNE COOKIE and DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY.
The show served as an indication of the band’s monumental rise to this point in time, as Matravers recalled playing their first ever gig at The Bodega, to progressing through Nottingham’s venues, from Rescue Rooms to Rock City, to playing the biggest one of all. Even though he initially called it the Morningside Arena (which is located in Leicester, for those who don’t know), he quickly corrected himself to Motorpoint, and was forgiven instantly. His genuine smile beamed around the arena, and it was clear that we were witnessing a man living out a lifelong dream.
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