It’s November, it’s cold and it’s wet. But a small band from Yorkshire have travelled eight-hours from Glasgow to play in London this evening, so it’d be a little cruel not to attend. Having just released their debut EP, The Wilde have hit the road for just over a week to deliver their catchy choruses and hooks a plenty to our eager ears.
The show got off to a poor start, with Apherium taking the opening slot tonight. Unfortunately they did little to please the small crowd, with a sort of early Funeral for a Friend/Atreyu vibe, it seemed mismatched and out of place. Luckily, main tour support Cardinal stepped up to lift the mood with their pop-rock melodies. Happy and enjoyable to watch – if a little cheesy, Cardinal aren’t making anything new or terribly exciting but they had fun and that was humbling to see.
Having only been to London once before, tonight was the night for The Wilde to make their mark and show everyone what they’ve got. As they bounced onto the tiny stage and into ‘Youth In Bloom’, it was clear that the next half-hour or so was going to be full of energy and antics.
The slight downfall of the performance was that the venue/stage didn’t help the band play to their strengths. The sound levels were uneven for many parts and with five energetic men giving it their all; the stage was near impossible to manoeuvre on. Leading to frontman Tommy Fleming clambering on (and nearly falling off) the speakers, getting up close and personal with the crowd on the floor and essentially finding any way of not being on the stage.
That aside, as they worked their way through tracks off the EP ‘Young Libertine’ both band and audience appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, with the beefy guitar riffs and sing-a-long choruses sounding just as impressive live. New track ‘Almost Famous Friends’ gave us a tasty insight as to what else these young lads have got up their sleeves, whilst old favourite ‘Laugh Like We Used To’ saw the room divided into a chant-off (PT’s side won, obviously.)
The title track from the EP, ‘Young Libertine’ brought the performance to a close, giving the crowd one last injection of life. As they bounce around the stage and venue, it’s hard not to smile as you watch The Wilde, it’s difficult for small bands to make a lasting impression but these guys have put in the time and effort to make sure their music is appealing, recorded well and that their live shows flaunt them at their finest. They may have a long way to go, but they’re certainly doing everything right and it won’t be long before The Wilde become the band that everyone is talking about.
TAMSYN WILCE
