LIVE FROM THE PIT: Bad Suns, Soap and Tally Spear

In celebration of their latest release Accelerator, the Californian indie rock giants BAD SUNS came back to London for the first time since 2019, and made a stop at the infamous Electric Ballroom. Supported by the rising star TALLY SPEAR and the crowd favourites SOAP, it was a given that the show will be a memorable one.

TALLY SPEAR opened the night with her energetic set, joined by a drummer and a guitarist, and although the Electric Ballroom was only half full, she captivated the crowd almost immediately - to no surprise, as this was her hometown show. TALLY did not have much time on the stage, yet she still delivered a curated setlist that captured her style flawlessly. From songs like Where Do I Go From Here?, to Self Confessions, to her unreleased work called Typical Me, her raw vocals were absolutely on point and as emotional as ever. She did not only get a big approval from the London crowd, but received a huge support from LEAP, who was hiding amongst the fans, too.

After the quick changeover, the four-piece SOAP took over the stage, followed by loud cheering. The Electric Ballroom kept rapidly filling as the British-based alt rock band deep-dived into their thirty-minutes long set, swinging through with their unmistakable charm and enthusiasm. Combining the frontman’s indie vocals with the kick of an aggressive riff and beat, the set started on a slower note, only to uncompromisingly bring the heavy side of the songs, resulting in many fans dancing around the floor and dancing. It was truly a beautiful sight as people just celebrated the music and fully enjoyed the moment. Even though their set was not very long, the impact of SOAP’s set was enough to leave the crowd even more excited for the upcoming headliners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZvFGEE26vE

Fans, now even more energetic, rapidly flooded the floor in the short span between the last support and the headliner, buzzing with excitement as the Californian trio was finally set to appear in the capital after seven years from their last performance there. BAD SUNS were welcomed with a cheer and applause that almost shook the whole building and transitioned right into synchronised singing, as the drummer Miles Morris, bassist and keyboardist Gavin Bennett and the vocalist and guitarist Christo Bowman took to the iconic stage with the first song Slow Karma. From there, the three-piece did not stop delivering and the audience did not stop singing and enjoying the set to the max, as many fans were just living in the moment dancing and jumping. 

In between those nineteen songs, Bowman expressed his and the band’s gratitude many times, ensuring the crowd knew how grateful they were to be back after so many years. As the evening progressed with songs like Madeline, Why Am I Like This? and Cardiac Arrest, the band was leaning into both the rock nature of their music, as well as the indie one, with Bowman’s typical vocals, that make BAD SUNS’ the band we love so much today. Closing the night with the proper kick that is Daft Pretty Boys, the band not only managed to win the hearts of everyone in the Electric Ballroom over the duration of their set, they also left the room emotional, but excited for the band to come back again in the future.

Words: Katerina Stepanikova

Photos: Subhaan Khan