“This is our last song,” said Hannah Pidduck, guitarist and powerful vocalist, hamming it up enormously for the appreciative Fleece crowd. She did so with the comfort you’d expect towards the end of a tour which has seen the Brighton duo travel to Paris, Milan, Stockholm, Hamburg and further afield, with a UK leg tacked on the end of a six-week tour.
After one of the shortest off-stage hiatuses I’ve ever seen, Pidduck and drummer Clara Townsend were back on stage to belt out the two stand out hits of their first album, Crying in the Carwash and Ride or Die. The gig had built towards this, with the crowd full of fans eagerly anticipating just such a crescendo.
And the band delivered, bringing the curtain down in fine fashion, assisted by front row fans who brought along sponges to dance with, singing along with lyrics about getting over a break up while getting a wax and polish.
This wasn’t the only gimmick, with inflatable dalmatians thrown into the crowd towards the end of the gig for a rendition of latest single Good Boy. Both went down well – who doesn’t love a bit of novelty fun?
The gig had built up steadily to this, with each song well received as the band played songs from both their albums, includingTrouble, Deep, Like Hell, and Swim in the opening run. The easy charm and on-stage banter between Pidduck and Townsend, and their gentle manner of interacting with the crowd, created an intimate feel to the gig, almost like watching friends you’ve known for a long time finally getting to do something they love.
There was a generous cheer for Pidduck when she spoke about having come out as non-binary recently, while there was also a huge cheer for everyone who was queer, and in a fittingly inclusive manner, for allies too.
The only time the gig slightly lost momentum was with two covers, one of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor and a second where Cher’s Believe was merged with What Have You Done, one of the band’s heavier songs. Pidduck bemoaned the fact the Ellis-Bextor cover hadn’t translated to their European audiences, but in truth this version stripped some of the funk and fun out of the song.
These two lulls aside, Pidduck and Townsend delivered from start to finish, with the biggest compliment being the way their tight and catchy song writing meant even members of the audience who weren’t already familiar with each track were singing along by the second chorus.
Post-gig, there was a huge queue for selfies and signatures with the band, while the merch stall did a decent trade – all suggesting a bigger future for the pair. See them in a small venue while you can.
NB: Apologies to support act Phoebe Green, who this reviewer missed. On the basis of her final song, her brand of dreamy pop is definitely worth checking out.
Photo credit - Ciara McMullen