Ed The Dog made quite the impact last year. With the release of his debut record Shame, as well as a much loved live performance at 2018’s Great Escape Festival, it seemed like a breakthrough for the artist was closer than ever.

Taking place at the Green Door Store, Ed’s headline set would mark the finale to the first of a four-night series of gigs presented by Hidden Herd; the Sptlght series, which aims to raise awareness of some of the most exciting upcoming bands.

This show certainly had quite the line-up, including the opening act Lacuna Bloome. The indie-rock band had a high energy and high atmosphere performance that really garnered numbers in the crowd that seemed to keep adding up the further their set progressed. The great chemistry between the members made Lacuna Bloome a very likeable band. This chemistry was also clear in their highly accessible sound.

Green Door Store became even more lively after it hit 8pm, as many people were excited to see the following band, Talk Show, who had ventured down from London to follow up the openers with the second set of the evening.

There’s no beating around the bush when it came to Talk Show, they absolutely blew me away! The raw and authentic punk energy they brought to the Green Door Store shared a lot in common with Idles. The flashiness of the set itself further boosted the adrenaline and excitement brought to us by Talk Show. Their performance was regarded by many there to be one of the highlights, with members of Talk Show receiving endless congratulations once their set was over. I myself thoroughly enjoyed their set and I would certainly register them as a band to keep your eyes peeled for.

The penultimate set from the much-loved Brighton band Safe To Swim conveyed a very colourful sound that brought a joyful and very familiar mood to the venue. While on the surface, Safe To Swim’s music could be classed as indie-rock, it was blended very nicely with some electro-pop elements and great vocal harmonies that made their music extra unique.

After this, it was time for Ed The Dog and his shirt and tie clad band to take to the stage, receiving many cheers along the way. It was clear that for a lot of people, this wouldn’t be their first time listening to Ed The Dog, as they sung along to the collection of alt-rock tunes.

This marvellously merry style also had a touch of sophistication and poetry to it and could be comparable to the likes of Blur. Many of the songs, especially the title track of the debut record, were real Britpop flavoured numbers that proved to be a real treat to the ears.

Ed The Dog “felt very humble” to be performing in front of everyone there and seemed really appreciative of the crowd. However, they and all the supporting acts were thoroughly deserving of everybody’s sheer enjoyment.

I really appreciated how Hidden Herd presented all of the acts involved as the great artists they truly are throughout this brilliant evening and marvellous start to the Sptlght series. It gave everybody a taste of the amazing musical talent that many are yet to discover.

Joe Boothby

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