May kicked off with a bang thanks to Sheffield’s new rising stars, The Sundowns, when they played at Plug this week.
This four-piece rock band have been together since late 2017, and during their short time in the music industry they’ve already started to make their mark.
Before the show started, frontman Regan described himself as “a bit nervous”. However, this was never displayed for a minute throughout the performance. As they graced the stage, the diverse mix of supporters let out cries and chants showing their love for the band who lapped it up during their intro.
The set kicked off with their new single ‘Slip ‘N’ Slide’, which was only released on 30 April from their new EP ‘What Are You Writing About?’. The lyrics are centred around “a cheap sun holiday”; it’s not only a bold track but a playful, witty one too. Like many summer indie tunes, this one definitely has the potential to be a future ‘T-Shirt Weather’, and from the crowds reaction, I think they agree.
Midway into the set, one of their most interesting tracks, ‘Staring At It Won’t Make It Go Away’, released in January this year, was greeted with a warm reception by the crowd. It was like watching them grow and really unite as a band during this performance – the pacy rhythms and overlapping beats creating something not only amazing but complex, too. Listening to this track, a presence similar to early Arctic Monkeys was noticeable – raw, gritty perfection comparable with the likes of ‘Put Your Dukes Up John’.
The closing number, ‘Circles’, also released earlier this week, sent the crowd into turmoil and disarray. During the chorus, and largely thanks to the force of Jake’s drums, fans were flung everywhere – whether you wanted to dance or be in the mosh pit, you were doing both either way. It was a beautiful scene to watch.
After all that commotion, it may leave you wondering how they felt once off the stage. A “mixed bag of emotions,” they told me. The confident frontman couldn’t say much more about how he felt other than “so ecstatic it’s unreal”. A common theme seemed to be the temperature as the drummer, Jake, and the guitarist, Ethan, both described themselves as feeling “really warm and sweaty” – so much for glitz and glamour of the industry! Regarding influences, Regan and bassist Frankie don’t really think they are influenced anymore they’re “just making music”. This is definitely not the peak for these lads, they’ve got more aspiration they want “more of that”, “to take over everything” and one day even “play Glastonbury”.
The whole evening was summed up by the frontman: ‘Nowadays, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. But we don’t know no one. All you’ve seen tonight is us.” Hard work and determination have got them where they are today and I see a bright future ahead for them. Good luck, boys!
Read more of Laura’s reviews at lauramillssite.com
