What happened to the beach? It came to Rock City! Declan McKenna crashed onto our stage in waves of nostalgia and tides of the future. Bringing the heat of Brazil and the phantom buzz with him, please welcome…
DECLAN MCKENNA
Hailed as ‘the voice of a generation’, the seismic precautions said generation are taking to ensure they have the optimal standing position are quite impressive. Diehards begin queueing from 10am, adorning Talbot Street in Brazil football shirts and glitter which shimmers beautifully on the hottest day of the year. There’s an evident disparity in girlfriend to boyfriend Declan die-hard-dom, but this is equaled out by the number of TRNSMT and Y NOT t-shirts investing full attention to some of his biggest hits.
And our attention was fully invested in Soft Launch, an up-and-coming five-piece who have burst the lid off their word-of-mouth endorsements and spilled their salvo of sugar-rush pop magic onto our stage. They’ve got the scuzzy grooves and electro-soaked breakdowns to prove it. Flipping the script on what to expect from a band, they’re jumping between instruments and trading vocals like it’s just a regular ol’ jam session – and if the sing-along screaming is anything go by, it seems they’ve amassed a devout fanbase of their own. We’re charmed by their Milkshakes and eagerly await their Cartwheels into Nottingham later this year.
We’ll ask the question again: what happened to the beach? The stage design of Antarctic icebergs looms high beyond the lighting rigs, and with the mystification doubling throughout the interval by the smoke machines, the band is dwarfed in this frosty imagery. Yet needing no time to warm up – our chants of “Oooooh, Declan McKeeeeh-nah!” doing just the trick – Declan McKenna bounds and bounces into this new soundscape with Sympathy.
“I hope you’ve got your dancing shoes on tonight! Who’s up for a boogie?!”
An apt opener, McKenna noting these final summer shows mark “the end of an era” for his latest album, yet the audience’s dismay in not seeing their indie-pop messiah is sidelined as we’re enamored right from that first note. Transitioning smoothly into Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine provides us with eclecticism of wispy walls of noise in a slick and low-slung live version straight out of the seventies. It seems he hasn’t completely grown out of his glam rock tendencies however, as Rapture has Declan pitching his voice in an almost caricaturable manner to delightfully harmonise with the crowd.
The onstage energy is fantastic and begs the question, just what is Declan McKenna’s tour step count? He never ceases to move, impishly gliding around the stage; it’s the stark contrast between the potent, candid lyricism of his songs that maintains a level of McKenna mystique.
“Thank you so much for turning up! It’s always a pleasure to play Rock City!”
Securely blending in recent releases with older fan favourites, it’s safe to say that The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home after this gig. These effervescent anthems detailing politics and poetry don’t question that the only way for McKenna to go is up, but more so how much higher can he go? The electronic noodlings of Isombard and the tinkling of those synths on Why Do You Feel So Down receive just as viscerally impassioned a response tonight as they did nearly ten years ago. Goosebumps.
It wouldn’t be a right if we didn’t mention Brazil. Now experiencing that song live is truly goosebump-worthy stuff. Genre-defying, generation-defining goosebump-worthy stuff.
Taking to the piano for It’s An Act lends to possibly the climax of the show. Expositions in both sound and sight, the mountains are awash in all hues of the rainbow; the band kinetically raw in their musical musings as McKenna himself hammers away at the keys. That peek-a-boo of a will they? won’t they? encore brings the house down with British Bombs.
Were people on shoulders?
Yes.
Were people crying?
Four.
Were phones out?
A few too many.
But none of that detracted from the unbridled ‘togetherness’ that song generates, a British indie anthem to rival any other from an artist who is currently at the peak of his powers.
DECLAN MCKENNA PERFORMED SUNADAY 11TH AUGUST
WORDS: TALIA ROBINSON
ROCK CITY NOTTINGHAM
We’re not only Nottingham’s favourite venue and nightclub – we’re the UK’s best live venue with a rich history of performers that have played here. Declan McKenna, you should listen to your friends and come back soon!
Also while you’re at it, why not check out our gig guide and see if any other of your favourite artists like Declan McKenna are playing soon! We also have our club nights on a Thursday (Tuned), Friday (Get Lucky) and Saturday (Rebel Rebel) so check those out too!
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