It’s a Friday night in Sheffield down at the O2 Academy, the air is sticky and warm, but there’s a sense of excitement because the Liverpool legends Circa Waves are in town.
Off to a bar for a rather pricey pint, £7.20 for a pint of San Miguel, to be exact.
However, the cost of the drink is instantly numbed by our support act for the night in the form of Cassia.
Cassia kick of their Sheffield set with a range of summery, shimmery chords, perfect for this summer evening in June.
The band move through a range of their biggest hits like ‘Drifting’ and ‘100 Times Over’.
Watching the band, no one can help but dance and groove; they are arguably one of the best supporting acts I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing accomplishing their job by thoroughly warming up this weekend crowd.
Back to the bar for another pricey pint to keep hydrated in what currently feels like the world’s hottest room.
Returning back towards the stage, the lights lower, the room is packed, and the temperature rises even further.
Circa Waves grace the Steel City stage, met with a warm Yorkshire welcome.
The band kick off this set with one of their latest release’s ‘Never Going Under’.
It’s indie but heavier than some of their other tracks as the bands move relentless through the deep electric guitar riffs while the drums smash and clash guiding us through the song.
Photography: Sahar Ghadirian
The crowd lap up every second by throwing their pints and smashing into each other as they sing along to every line.
Up next is ‘Movies’.
As Kieran takes the lead on the vocals, the crowd follow alongside him as they belt “Yooooou / Meeeee / We’re stealing the show / We’re stealing the show.”
As the super show continues, we move through a whole host of bangers, including classics newer releases such as ‘Wake Up’, ‘Stuck In My Teeth’, ‘Sad Happy’ and ‘Do You Wanna Talk’.
For me personally, the most magical part of the show was when the band launched into ‘Move to San Franscisco’ from their 2020 album titled Sad Happy.
A song full of memories like sitting in the sun sippin’ in Lockdown and belting it out with my parents.
Absolutely pure joy and nostalgia.
The crowd lapped it belting out “I think that we should move to San Francisco / That’s where the happy people go / You say you wanna go to San Francisco / But I, I just don’t know”, along with Kieran who is giving it all to that mic.
Circa Waves continue to serve us an excellent performance and then some, playing even more bangers such as ‘Fire That Burns’, ‘Be Your Drug’ and ‘Jacqueline’.
The band exit the stage with a giant round of applause, but we know they’re not quite done yet.
Circa Waves return to the stage for the final time tonight to play their most renowned song ‘T-Shirt Weather’.
For one final hurrah pints launched to the sky, the crowd knock each other about while screaming out every single line.
My only critique about this night is the fact it had to end.
What a night, what a band.
