TW: Discussions of sexual assault
Lucas Mannion had a great time at Rescue Rooms, checking out some promising names in modern pop punk.
On a hot Tuesday night, less than 24 hours after moving into my new student flat, I found myself
packed tightly into a sweaty crowd of pop-punk fans at Rescue Rooms. What better way to help me settle back into Nottingham after a summer away?
First up on stage was Spanish Love Songs – I’d never heard of them, but judging by the enthusiasm of
the crowd, many of whom were sporting merch for SLS’s new album No Joy, I was an outlier. The
band had a standard pop-punk sound, pairing light-hearted drumbeats and guitar riffs with emotion-
fuelled vocals. I couldn’t make out the lyrics, but every so often, voices from the crowd would shout
along in a passionate chorus. It was impossible to stand still, with everyone around me tapping their
feet, bobbing their heads and dancing. Though they seemed a little unsure of themselves at certain
points, overall Spanish Love Songs lit up the room with positive energy.
After a short break, it was time for the main event. I only started listening to Hot Mulligan this year,
so have not had the opportunity to see them live before – I’d never even seen a photo of them!
When they shuffled on stage, I couldn’t help but think they looked exactly how you would expect a
pop-punk band to look: a bunch of millennial guys in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. The casual look
perfectly matched their energy, as throughout their set, Hot Mulligan chatted to each other and the
crowd, seemingly forgetting they were speaking to a room of 400 people. With topics of
conversation including piss, sweat, and hating the royal family, it felt like a relaxed night out at the
pub with my mates.
Despite warning us that he was losing his voice, frontman Nathan Sanville did not hold back,
screaming into the microphone with intense passion and energy. Much to my surprise, the band
launched into their most popular song *Equip Sunglasses* (which currently has over 23 million
streams) immediately after their opening song. Most of us recognised the off-beat drum intro
instantly, and tipped our heads back to yell the lyrics as one. In all honesty, I find it hard to translate
Hot Mulligan’s mumblings even when I listen to them at home, but that did not stop me from
shouting vague syllables along with everyone else.
"Surrounded by friends and strangers, it was incredibly cathartic for me to throw myself into the crowd, screwing up my face and screaming every word."
My favourite moment of the night was the performance of Digging In. This is one song I know the
lyrics to, and it is a powerful one. In a past interview, Sanville shared that Digging In is about learning
one of his friends was sexually assaulted by someone he knew. Anger drips from every word like a
curse on the attacker, with the chorus repeating “hope it hurts you too, hope you never sleep.”
Surrounded by friends and strangers, it was incredibly cathartic for me to throw myself into the
crowd, screwing up my face and screaming every word.
The final song Hot Mulligan played was BCKYRD, a relatively relaxed song compared to the rest of
the set, but still filled with their signature bright guitar riffs and gravelly vocals. One of my friends
pulled me close and we swayed and danced together, shouting the lyrics to each other as if we were
the only two people in the room. When I walked out into the cool night air, with a hoarse throat and
my clothes clinging to the sweat on my skin, I was filled with the type of calmness that only comes
immediately after a gig. It was a fantastic way to welcome myself back to Nottingham’s wonderful
music scene – I am very excited to see what I’m in for next!
Lucas Mannion
Edited by Tabitha Smith
Featured Image courtesy of Hot Mulligan via Instagram
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