Raucous local upstarts shrug off technical difficulties on their teeming homecoming show.
The burgeoning success of grassroots British rock music over the last three years has propelled countless acts into the hearts and minds of the charismatic and ever-engrossed aficionados of rock. One city whose momentum for breeding fresh rock talent has started to reach lamentable levels over the past eighteen months is the traditionally strong city of Nottingham. Whilst London Grammar, Jake Bugg and Sleaford Mods have successfully opened a path to the mainstream for themselves, there has been a lackluster level of mainstream attention for a city bristling with brilliant singer-songwriters and quirky new bands.
Making firm strides in changing the tide for their beloved city are four-piece Reflekter; they might well be the new kids on the block, but they’re certainly not a band to underestimate. Consisting of James Gooch (vocals, guitar), Adam Mitchell (guitar), Isaac Bloomfield (bass) and Seb McNish (drums), the vivacious rock and roll quartet have only released three singles to date. Despite this, they sold out their prestigious October headline date at the iconic Bodega in a matter of days, and, fresh from the release of their barnstorming new anthem 75 Trips, they took to the stage with the ragged confidence of a band teetering on the brink of something much bigger.
The rich blend of rock history from the 1960s to the modern day permeates Reflekter’s audience-catching sound; opening with debut track Caught in a Storm, they immediately caused the audience to erupt in an explosion of energy. From the snarling wails of the track’s opening lines, the band kept on the offensive, carrying a desirability in the confrontational, swaggering vocals of James Gooch and their incredulous concoction of grassroots rock and roll.
'They sold out their prestigious October headline date at the iconic Bodega in a matter of days and took to the stage with the ragged confidence of a band teetering on the brink of something much bigger'.
Throughout their set, Reflekter’s stage presence and blues rock personalities persevered over the top of some tedious technical difficulties. What started as a simple microphone issue was blown out of proportion and failed to be resolved for the whole set, yet the four-piece managed to regain control over their own headline show later on. Machine prowled dangerously into a sonically-charged new dimension, whilst a cover of Billie Eilish’s bad guy twanged with a gnarly, blues-rock twist.
The weight of expectation on their biggest show to date was rarely etched on the face of the band’s frontman, but the cries to the sound technician of “you’ll be sacked in the morning” and the smattering of conversation that occurred through an acoustic song which Gooch performed alone onstage acted as a slight dampener to an otherwise electric occasion.
'Throughout their set, Reflekter’s stage presence and blues rock personalities persevered over the top of some tedious technical difficulties'.
Reuniting onstage for yet another technical break, the four-piece launched into their signature track, latest single 75 Trips, which was met with raucous cheers from the crowd. Combining Springsteen lyricism with Oasis-influenced instrumentation, Reflektor’s closing track is a surefire sign of promise moving into the winter as they look to record and release more material ready for 2020.
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