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Ali Glen

Porridge Radio @ Metronome, Live Review

Brighton-based group Porridge Radio have recently gained critical acclaim, following a coveted Mercury Prize nomination for their Every Bad record. Ali Glen offers his thoughts on their performance at the intimate venue, The Metronome.


Porridge Radio have carved out a space for themselves in the rejuvenated landscape of

British alternative music, with their brand of unrelentingly anxious yet simultaneously

anthemic indie leading them to a well-deserved Mercury Prize nomination with their

sophomore record Every Bad. Now, fresh off the back of their third studio album Waterslide,

Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky, the Brighton-based group transfixed the Metronome with

a powerful setlist showcasing the best of their latest effort.


Following support from Memory of Speke and ALASKALASKA, Porridge Radio took to the

stage, backed by the Spice Girls classic Stop, a track wonderfully unbefitting of the sound

that the 400-strong crowd would be treated to in the next hour. Indeed, this juxtaposition was

immediately evident in the opener, Every Bad’s first song Born Confused. Just from this

song alone, frontwoman Dana Margolin’s performance style was laid bare for all to see.

Margolin is not one for engaging in small talk with the audience, but this should not be

mistaken for a lack of stage presence. Instead, she held the audience’s attention with the

absolute commitment to the songs that she crafted, not only through her emotive vocal style,

but also the looks of anguish on her face whilst singing the track’s recurring mantra, “Thank

you for leaving me, thank you for making me happy”. As she drained her spirit in the name of

providing this song, and many of the others, with the strength of feeling she felt they

deserved, there were moments in which I was sincerely concerned for her wellbeing. It was

captivating, witnessing a woman seemingly emotionally exhaust herself within her own

songs, before snapping back to reality once the final notes hit.



Margolin was, of course, supported by stellar performances from the rest of the band.

Porridge Radio’s songs naturally tend towards a very distinctive textural richness that often

brings different elements of the mix to the forefront - an effect the band recreated and added

to this sound with relative ease, from Birthday Party’s cascading drums, to Georgie Stott’s

jaunty keyboard work on Jealousy. All the while, both Stott and bassist Maddie Ryall

provided clean vocal harmonies, acting as a fantastic ying to the yang of Margolin’s strained

and deliberately imperfect tones.


"Just from this song alone, frontwoman Dana Margolin’s performance style was laid bare for all to see. Margolin is not one for engaging in small talk with the audience, but this should not be mistaken for a lack of stage presence."

Whilst the group is usually only a four-piece, Nottingham was treated to a surprise

appearance from violinist Maria Marzaioli, who worked on the latest album with the band, but

is not typically a touring member. Her presence was keenly felt throughout the gig, with her

perform ance adding an extra layer to so many of the songs, especially U Can Be Happy If U

Want To and the closer to the main set, Waterslide’s lead single Back To The Radio. My

sister, an avid violinist herself, was particularly enraptured by her exploits, and later informed

me that Marzaioli was her highlight of the whole night.


As a venue, Metronome was somewhat of an awkward fit for the post-punk group in that,

whilst some of the slower tracks on the setlist absolutely transfixed the audience in a spine-

tingling manner, the more lively moments in the show left the audience in an uncomfortable

position in which they were unsure whether it was appropriate to be jumping around with

unrestrained enthusiasm. At the end of Lilac, Every Bad’s crashing centrepiece, Margolin

seemed somewhat confused by the lack of movement in the crowd, eventually attributing it

to the gig falling on a Monday. The clearest example of the differences in reception of these

two contrasting types of song fell in the encore, which opened with the bare and minimalist

title track to Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky. Performed only by Margolin and

Stott, the song was a breathtaking exhibition of the best of Porridge Radio; a band who can

make every hair on your body stand on edge with only the simplest compositions.



On the other hand, the night’s finale, Sweet, sadly displayed the more troubled side of the

band’s attempt to win over Metronome. Before the track, Margolin declared to the crowd that

“if you want to mosh, now’s the time!” - a statement that was met with laughter from corners

of the audience. Despite this, some more enthusiastic members did attempt to follow her

instructions, albeit comically unsuccessfully to the point that the band spent a lot of the

remaining song giggling their way through it. Whilst this reaction (or lack thereof) to the set’s

more raucous numbers was not Porridge Radio’s fault intrinsically, it did show somewhat of

an inability to tailor their show to the room that they were faced with. Perhaps this is

unsurprising, given that the group rose to prominence during the pandemic, and thus are

obviously less experienced with handling rooms of all shapes and sizes than other bands at

the same point in their lifespan. Nonetheless, this is something they can easily tailor, and

should be nothing to worry about for the south coast outfit, as it was merely a small

dampener to what was otherwise a brilliant tour through their highly acclaimed discography.


Ali Glen

 

Edited by: Jodie Averis

Cover image courtesy of The Independent.


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