LIVE FROM THE PIT: Two Year Break and The Monday Smile

Five long years ago, TWO YEAR BREAK were jumping through hoops to record their beast of an album Do You Wanna Find Love?, an album that doubles up as a warp-speed outburst and an outpouring of vulnerability and honesty, a prime example of the band’s refusal to stay in one box. With stirrings of new music in the works, the London-based five-piece paid tribute to their explosive album with an anniversary show at Blondies, a venue that matched the band’s high spirits and warm openness as it opened its doors to loyal fans.

The night started off with a different vibe with grunge-heavy THE MONDAY SMILE, a London-based trio channeling the spirit of SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA and L7 on jagged opener River, before sliding into Slow Dive with a bass line thicker than treacle from Kez (sadly in one of his last appearances with THE MONDAY SMILE), lead vocalist and guitarist LJ delivering gritty vocals over the fuzzed chords. They launched into Persona Non Grata with headbangs and sways through the introduction, the distorted, low instruments ringing out as the trio visibly relaxed and lost themselves in the freight train force in their solos and relentless drums.

LJ introduced next track Razor, newly released a week prior, joking that it’s drummer Wookie’s least favourite to play live thanks to its complex tempo changes, Wookie smiling sheepishly in agreement before he locked in to pummel the kit. It was evident the band had limbered up by this point and focused on enjoying the moment, swapping smiles and headbanging through destructive Seeing Double and edgy There’s Got To Be, LJ bringing a sharp-tongued attitude to the serrated instrumentals from Kez and Wookie. With thanks to TWO YEAR BREAK and the audience for sharing this night with them, THE MONDAY SMILE closed out on quick-fire I’m Not Going Out Like This, leaden drums and menacing notes streaming out from the bass and guitar as they had one last headbang across the stage.

People are suddenly holding slices of cake - it’s a double-take moment resulting in laughs and the surety that, after all their years together, TWO YEAR BREAK are still intent on having fun as they celebrate Do You Wanna Find Love? with an anniversary cake from the green room. The five-piece aren’t just playing their 2021 album in full, they’re playing it in track listing order, getting fans sufficiently amped up as they count down to their favourite tracks. To kick this night off though, the crowd are instructed to "give a thumbs up" to the sound tech, turning in one fluid motion to raise their thumbs in the air - go teamwork! From opener #bitbright the band are zooming around the stage like out of control dodgem cars, lead singer Bradley Tyler high kicking across the stage as long-time friend and day-one supporter Danny Langdon stepped up to provide guttural screams on the breakdown.

The mania continued to build as they continued through their set, Lovin’ Every Day giving a shout out to Charlie Simpson who collaborated vocals on the track and was then annihilated by Brad in the wrestling ring at Download 2025 (well, a cardboard cutout of Charlie). It’s an indicator of how close they are that the band praised guitarist Charlie “Chaz” Barnard and spoke of their pride in him, the audience applauding loudly, while drummer George Lilley was lightly jabbed at in a way that those of us with brothers can understand. As they plowed through tracks such as OMG He’s In The House, I’m Over It, and Shave ‘Em On That, the band didn’t flag from the sheer amount of energy they poured out on stage - that’s not the only that got poured, as a celebratory bottle of whiskey was brought out and a double shot cheersed from a pint glass. Very classy.

A prolonged technical issue paused the set long enough for the crowd to start a singalong to 2025 single Crash Bandicoot, despite it not being on the setlist. Showcasing their more serious side, the band stayed uncharacteristically still for the emotionally hard-hitting Deja Vu, dedicating it to Mental Health Awareness Day as the audience let the emotion sweep over them and swayed lights in the air. Continuing through more gold dust tracks like Tearing Me Apart, title track Do You Wanna Find Love? - which saw bassist Dan Wright launch himself into the crowd and expend energy he didn’t quite have the space to unleash on stage - and finally Wasting Your Time, they announced they of course weren’t done with the night, coming back for Light It Up, latest single Listen To Your Body with Brad jumping into the crowd this time, Unoriginal and Take It Down which saw Danny Langdon return for more vocal shreds.

Throughout the night the band reminded us it had been five years since they'd performed most of these tracks, almost apologetic in their admissions as Brad rifled through a fistful of paper that contained original notes from the album's recording session. Despite this, their performance felt seamless and well-practiced; even if they had struggled, their unrelenting energy and joyful attitude still made this a night to remember. With heartfelt gratitude to everyone in the room, their crew, families, Blondie’s venue and to each other, they burst into one last bout of energy for closer Don’t Bring Me Down, their families climbing on stage to sing and dance together. If you wanna find love, look no further than TWO YEAR BREAK and their welcoming fanbase.

Words and photos: Julia Stark