Calva Lousie – Yes (Basement), Manchester

Before the gig even starts there is an electric atmosphere everyone waiting in anticipation for Calva Louise, smoke fills the room as Naked Six, a 3-piece Alt-rock band take to the Stage. With half-sung, half spoken vocals, heavy drums, and good usage of the guitar and the bass, they make for a good introductory band. The front few rows of The YES Basement are bopping to the tunes.

The lead singers voice sounds slightly hoarse, and I think that’s intentional as it goes very well with the rest of the music, the room slowly fills up to listen to the first act. The band ended with a fast paced song, truly preparing everyone for the next two acts.

The second band, Gay Girl, start their set with a simple repeated riff on an electric guitar. Soft vocals and quiet drums enter the mix, to make for a very atmospheric song with a slow build. The second song is a lot heavier with an instant punch of guitar that knocks you off your feet and invests you in to the song. The majority of their tunes appear to be fairly mellow, with the odd heavier sound thrown in the mix every now and again. The 3-piece leave the stage with a nice round of cheers.

Calva Louise jump on to the stage and are instantly met with thunderous applause. They start off their sets every audience member off, as this is one of their more well known songs. Every fan sings along to the chants made by the band. They then thank the band for their endless support and their lack of support from music companies. This exclamation of support leads straight in to Tug Of War. Every tune of theirs seems to get everyone bouncing and it makes everyone happier than they might otherwise be. All of their music is instantly recognisable even to the newest of fans.

The band allows the fans time to recover as they talk about the fourth member of the band, Alex, The Sound Engineer. They then play a new song, known as I Wish, which will be on their next EP, which has an unknown release date. Getting Closer plays next, another one of their well-known tunes. It is oddly reminiscent of The Lottery Winners for the opening but soon gets heavier. Calva Louise finish with Belicoso, and everyone sings along, running and jumping to the drumbeats. A random fan is lifted to the ceiling and thrown around like a rag doll. Their last few songs are all filled with euphoria as they leave fans screaming and wanting more. Luckily for the fans, Calva oblige and finish the night with one more song from their album.

There are few bands that deliver this level of quality at such an early stage in their careers.

📸 Malc Burke