Earlier this year, Pumarosa’s earth shattering debut, The Witch, came into the public domain. The record was a spectacular introduction to the band’s stunningly unique sound and I can assure you, that when the band played their sell out set at Patterns tonight, the already heavenly tracks enter an entirely new world of their own.

Unfortunately i only caught the end of tonight’s opening set from Rokurokubi, a local group who from what I gathered listening back to their material, focus on a strongly distorted instrumental sound to accompany some nicely silky vocal patterns. Glancing around the room people seem to be sinking nicely into their set so they certainly did their job for the evening well. Following this is possibly the most confusing set I’ve ever seen. VÏSTA is a solo performer with one hell of an eclectic personality. Ever seen an artist serenade a houseplant? Well, now this crowd have. VÏSTA uses the majority of his set as more of a work out than anything else, sprinting in place through almost the entirety of his set under a blanket of harsh synth patterns. The most bizarre part of the spectacle is that I can’t look away! VISTA may be a confusing artist to fully understand but, if nothing else, he is an absolute joy to watch and certainly pumped up this crowd nicely for the headline act.

Bursting into colour with the fantastic ‘Dragonfly’ it’s immediately present just how talented Pumarosa are as a band. Vocalist Isabel Munoz-Newsome is simply fantastic. Her tones are so dramatically varied that they captivate an almost angelic persona, she has an incredible ability to instantly transition between fragile soprano notes and suddenly explode into powerhouse tones which dwarf the rest of the band’s sound. The tightly packed room are already enticed by Pumarosa’s spell and share their enthusiasm for the band in a terrific manner of applause, you can already tell this is going to be an incredible set.

As the ambient sound continues, I would definitely go further than saying that hearing these tracks in a live environment outshines their recorded counterparts. There is something incredibly special about Pumarosa’s music, it’s as though it has the ability to tap directly into the human psyche and evolutionary roots, I know no other band who even come close to doing this in such a capacity, the result is striking.

Tonight’s set includes the perfect combination of ambience and energy. Tracks such as ‘Lions’ Den’ demonstrate both aspects of this incredible band’s abilities: a slow atmospheric build morphs into a truly colossal track in which every drum beat and guitar strum hits the very core of your spine. Meanwhile others such as ‘Hollywood’ put Isabel’s vocals in the spotlight, demonstrating the true capabilities of her magnificent voice. The subtle addition of the saxophone throughout the entirety of the band’s set may be a small aspect to note, but acts as the glue that is keeping the instruments working so efficiently together.

The evening predictably ends with ‘Priestess’, the band’s lead single which has already racked over two million plays on Spotify alone. Once again, the tribal track sends the room into a spiral of motion, it’s clear that Pumarosa’s sound means a great deal to many and none will have come away from tonight feeling disappointed. Pumarosa have put on a sublime set tonight and are arguably the freshest band around on any scene right now. They are a breakthrough band who have the world at their fingertips, if you’ve never heard of the triumph that is Pumarosa, get on board now as these guys will be selling out shows across the globe before long.

Ben Walker

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