On recommendation of a friend, I ventured over to Archway to catch a handful of bands before the first England game of the World Cup. It felt like England were headlining the gig, which was a strange concept, but nonetheless I went along with an open mind and in high spirits.
Which leads me onto the first band of the evening.
Any band with a Fender telecaster/frontman combo you worry if they’re just going to be a clone of Wunderhorse but Hollow Waves certainly held their own, and I really felt some influence from The Vines in there which was a pleasant surprise. Some great guitar riffs and tones, but I do stand by my point of no shorts on stage unless you’re Weezer. They featured a very cool frontman which is complimented by the band – a left handed drummer on a right handed kit as well was a nice addition and clearly showed their versatility. The songs do need a little bit of movement from tune to tune and some crowd engagement wouldn’t go a miss. But in hindsight a perfect opener for the night.
The energy was there and the tunes were great, but this band does make you wonder who’s the front person or who’s really in charge on stage. The bass player standing in front of the singer for most of her vocal lines (and choruses) really pulls away from what should be shining through, as her vocals were phenomenal. A really class act who will go far with a couple of tweaks to the stage dynamic.
Some bands have a thing that you can’t quite put your finger on, but it gives them that special kind of edge. The Rolling People are one of those bands. Flawless energy and charisma backed up by the most important factor, the tunes. The sea of England fans waiting for the game were definitely won over by these lads, with many leaving their seats in front of the projector screens to go and watch them. At this point, the game didn’t seem to be the most important event happening tonight, it was The Rolling People. Effortlessly cool, effortlessly good. A one to watch. I highly recommend their tune Better Man.
With the band packing down, and a nice quick chat with their frontman Charlie, it was all eyes on England to round off the night…
And round off in style they did.
✍️ WORDS – JAMES DONOVAN 📸 CREDIT – THEO WINKLEY
CHECK OUT THE LATEST RGM TRENDING MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS HERE