Corella // Engine Rooms, Southampton
Corella commandeers southampton with guitars, grit and chaos.
★★★★☆ (4/5)
CORELLA AT ENGINE ROOMS, SOUTHAMPTON
PHOTOS BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
Festival season is over, the British rain is back and small gigs are in full swing. After a fairly quiet summer, Engine Rooms has reopened its doors to indie rock, with one of the first gigs of this kind taking place on a rainy Wednesday evening.
Up first to open the evening was Alex Spencer – who incidentally announced his headline tour earlier today. Striding on stage with nothing much but confidence, a guitar and songs that felt like they were ripped from teenage notebooks, he completely smashed his set. Whilst the venue had a few people scattered around, Alex Spencer managed not only to fill it, but to bring people to the front and engage. He performed songs such as ‘Love and Let Go’, ‘Waiting for a Change’, as well as tracks from his latest EP including ‘Clouded Thinking’ and ending with ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’.
The crowd really warmed up to Alex Spencer when the set dropped into a quieter moment, even though the guitar solos and the Arctic Monkeys/Beatles-esque tracks that were full of energy had people bouncing and dancing along through the whole set. By the time he wrapped up his set, the room was primed and ready for what was coming next.
When Corella came on stage, there was no mistaking that this was their night. The crowd cheered as the riffs started flowing, and they owned Southampton from the first chord to the last crescendo. The band has been touring the UK all year round, and are now carving serious buzz with festival slots, more tour dates and dedicated fans. Their performance was incredibly dynamic, with a lot of energy and enough personality to make you feel like you’re in on something extremely special. There was equal amounts swagger and humility, whilst the sound really brought the vocals and the drums into life.
Their setlist consisted of songs from their whole discography. Particular crowd favourites for sing-alongs were ‘Do You Want It?’, ‘Lost Friend’, ‘Monday’, ‘Waterfall’, ‘Puppets’, ‘Rewire’ and ‘Barcelona Girl’. The songs had everyone sing along, whilst the band was full blast. Their show was a strong case for proving that they are not just another band climbing the ladder, but they are claiming their spot near the top. Their melodies, energy and performance that switches between build-ups and full throttle made their set flow quickly and pleasantly, dropping the barriers between band and audience. For anyone who is on the verge of seeing them, they promise to deliver a great time.
REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
