• ₊°˗ˏˋ Gig Review• ˗ˏˋˎˊ

      MOTH Club 19th March - ELI, Trout & Sorry

      It was Tuesday 19th March at MOTH Club in Hackney, just after 7 pm, as we stood at the back of a queue of 4 people we’d earlier mistaken for just smokers. Our House Online had curated a night of London favourites, from superstar Sorry to the up-and-coming Trout and ELI. They were running mildly late; we watched the end of Sorry joint frontman Louis O’Bryen’s cigarette break before he ran back inside.

      27.03.24

      Words by Caitlin Taylor

      ELI kicked off the night. She began her set while the crowd trickled in after pausing to get drinks in the first room. Immediately her voice was hypnotising, almost siren-like, which was fitting as the more she sang, the larger the audience grew. She gave a beautiful rendition of ‘Revelation’ with an almost Nirvana-like instrumental backing. As I haven’t seen her live before, I’m still unsure whether her live sets are always more rock-influenced or if this was just inspired by today’s lineup but she can pull off this heavier sound as well as her usual RnB. Like many of the songs that night, her rendition of ‘Promises’ began softly as she performed smooth vocal acrobatics which gradually dissolved into louder sounds. ‘Lover’ seemed to be the song kept closest to its EP version and it was where her voice truly shone. Throughout the set, she was charismatic and incredibly complimentary to the other bands performing and her ability to win over a crowd likely means she’ll quickly move from opener to headliner.

      After ELI made her exit and my friend and I had finished a brief chat with their bassist about the Californian electronic/jazz-funk duo KNOWER, it was time for Trout to perform.

      I’ve been a fan of Trout ever since I reviewed their first EP Colourpicker last September and I hadn’t managed to see them live yet so personally their set was the one I was most excited for.

      We learned that it’s their first time playing at MOTH, but you wouldn’t have thought so. As they launch into their set, they blend in seamlessly with MOTH’s grunge aesthetic, it’s a venue that suits a band that feels as authentic as Trout. Throughout their time on stage, it’s undeniable how well they work together. Despite their soft-spoken interludes – they reacted to a “woo!” from the crowd with shy smiles – they exude confidence in how they play. Lead singer Cesca Challis gave a beautiful breathy rendition of ‘garden’, and ‘in my room’ was an instant crowd pleaser. Their new song ‘friends’ is more experimental than their past releases, playing around with distorted vocals. They were apologetic over the current quality of the unreleased tracks but they certainly didn’t have to be. Any new material is set to be equally as good as anything they’ve released in the past. They close their set with the same level of calm and control they’ve had throughout. While they were perhaps quieter and more understated than the other performers today, Trout still very much has charm and undeniable talent.

      In the interlude my friend and I cling to our coveted space at the front of the stage, taking shifts for drinks and cigs as we’re swarmed by others. The room is full of spectators now, there are even whispers that some of Fontaines D.C. are hiding at the back, and it’s not surprising. Sorry are a consistent London favourite, definitely one of the most well-known bands still doing the circuit. The first time I saw them was at their ‘Anywhere But Here’ album launch back in late 2022 which was an incredibly interesting night full of stories I won’t recount here for many reasons. But since then, Sorry have even further cemented themselves as the top tier of local bands, moments away from breaking into the mainstream.

      Their set was dappled with samples and references. One of the multiple new songs they played, ‘Hot Freak’, seems to include an interpolation of one of Kanye West’s biggest songs. They played around theatrics in their own very chilled way, even getting the tech people to turn off the lights during ‘Into The Dark’. It’s clear while watching that they’ve had years of experience. At times they’re deeply emotional – Asha’s voice was heartbreaking as she sang “I have loved every version of you” – but these moments are countered by blaring noises and screams at other times, constantly keeping the crowd engaged, unsure of their next steps. At one point someone started chanting for a 3-hour set which joint frontman Louis O’Bryen claimed they “could do… but might get a bit weird at the end”.
      You can tell a band is adored when a call out for requests yields desperate cries from the audience. I nodded in agreement with someone nearby who screamed ‘In Unison’ but they eventually settled on ‘Snakes’, a more obscure track from their 2020 release ‘925’ which they introduced with a clip from the original Disney version of The Jungle Book. The crowd, the band, and Asha in particular were all electric. At the end, a couple of young fans who’d be consistently singing along snatched setlists from the stage. It’s difficult to see how they won’t continue to grow exponentially over the next few years.
      Anyone who says young people are living through their phones hasn’t been to enough small gigs. Photos were captured now and then but mostly people’s eyes were glued to the stage. Every performer felt like they were enjoying sharing their music with the crowd, especially their new songs. Even after the gig, it seemed as though everyone stayed around for a drink leading to a genuine sense of community. I’d class all these artists as must-sees but wouldn’t be surprised if you wait too long to see them both the ticket price and venue size might have doubled.

      https://open.spotify.com/artist/3BD5fdisJXK0AXZALy8Nqy?si=etiejEtEQpCF_gDvDsZA1Q

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