thistle (it’s nice to see you, stranger) EP Release Show

Marking the overwhelming success and release of their debut ep ‘it’s nice to see you, stranger’ Northampton’s loudest band thistle brought their illicit energy and raucous live show to the walls of The Garibaldi Hotel for an indelible evening of crowd surfing, stage dives and moshpits starting entertainment.

Being one of the hottest rising bands in the scene thistle’s debut ep has already left its mark, not even a month after being released. Joined by Sunny Gym and Prom there was a feeling of wanting to celebrate big and with the support of Picky New Promotions it became possible. With one of the busiest and warmest shows I’ve witnessed at The Garibaldi the evening truly felt like a landmark event for the band and a promising glimpse into the future.

To kick off the evening Sunny Gym opened up the stage with their mellow blend of indie / alt-rock seasoned with rich melodies and laid back coherent rhythms. This five piece set the bar high upon delivering a stellar performance that could make one feel all kinds of feelings. From their use of clever dynamics and nostalgic lyrics they really knew how to pull on the heartstring and play with the nostalgia. 

While inherently sounding as smooth as a single malt scotch whisky through layers of velvety sax, slick guitar lines and magnetising drum patterns, the band also manage to create an edge for themselves by implying the unconventional use of their instruments' natural sounds and threading in rough vocal tones to emphasise lamentable phrasing in their songs. By implementing aspects of indie, alternative-rock, jazz and even pop-punk Sunny Gym have struck upon something far more diverse yet prevailing than I thought possible.

With the headliners taken into account I was pleasantly surprised to see a band of this nature on the line up and it worked extremely well in terms of variety and energy management, although not to say they didn’t get the crowd moving with their foot tapping tunes. Seeming to shine amidst a line up where others might feel out of place Sunny Gym came through with a set well with the time and appreciation they received from the early comers of the evening.

Second to the stage were Brighton based breakdown bringers Prom who made their trip up half the country worthwhile putting on an energetically debilitating set. With gut-wrenching vocals, disorientating guitar effects and low end so thick you’d get crushed by its weight, this band brought post-hardcore to The Garibaldi in its rawest form getting the crows ripe and ready for the evenings headliners. Bringing forth a barricade of discordant rhythms and immense breakdowns there was no surprise things got heated with some two stepping and even a small moshpit opening up near the end of their set.

While others might take a one size fits all approach to their live shows Prom seemed committed to making this one feel personal as they did everything Northampton style. Of course with this being my first time seeing them perform I’m unable to evidently back this up, however the band's modest yet enthusiastic approach gave a sense that these guys actually cared about the people they were playing in front of. 

Without a doubt I can see Prom being greeted with a warm welcome back to Northampton when they wish to head up next and I for one will not be missing out. There was undoubtedly a lot of local love for these desolatingly down tuned moshpit starters, and to see such like-mindedness on stage makes me like this band more than any music could simply just do.

There was no need for introductions in regards to the evening headliners with everyone making their way and selling out the venue for one of Northampton's most loved emerging “rock” acts. 

Commemorated for their distinct blend of post-hardcore rhythms mixed with the ambiance of shoegaze thistle have proven with the release of their debut ep (it’s nice to see you, stranger) that rock is not dead and is most certainly far from dying. The shifty guitar melodies and sporadic changes between dynamics and time signatures make the trio far from comfortable to listen to, however the inclusion of airy and somewhat tamer vocal melodies brings a level of sonic dexterity to an already niche genre of music. Adding on with the soul destroying bass tone and suffocating rhythms that are ready to explode at any moment lead this band into territory that blends the best of contemporary with elements of the 90’s 

Framed by an ambiguous stage set up, and led on to ‘If You Leave Me Now by Chicago’ from the get go thistle seemed to know what they were doing with a headline show. Leaving all pleasantries aside from the first note struck, it was within seconds that the crowd broke into their first moshpit and fell into a spiral from there as we soon saw crowd surfing and stage diving, the likes of which I've never seen at The Garibaldi before. To say the show was nuts would be an understatement with so much going on in such a confined space alright it was by far one of the best shows I’ve experienced in some when regarding audience engagement.  

It seemed like there couldn't be a better place for thistle to celebrate the release of their ep than at The Garibaldi with its dive-bar inspired interior giving weight to the band's sense of vagueness and mystery. There is no questioning the broad future the band have ahead of them, and to match a successful ep release with such a glorious live show makes you see the connection thistle have made to others through their artistic expression.