“We were always a stadium band, even when we were playing nightclubs”. So said Noel Gallagher recently, recalling life on the relentless touring circuit in the early days of Oasis. Special bands have that little something extra about them, the cockiness and bravado that comes from not caring whether 20, 200 or 20,000 people have turned up to watch. Partway through a huge 50-date tour of the UK and Europe, the noise surrounding the Dublin band is starting to be heard across the industry. Despite playing to many packed venues this time round, Brighton audiences are renowned for being contrary and it was far from a sell-out at The Hope & Ruin. Otherkin simply shrugged that off and showed that they have that secret ingredient, playing it as if they were headlining a stadium show.

Support on the night came from two local bands, Lacuna Bloome and Dan Cox & The Blackbirds. The former were clearly in thrall to the 90s lo-fi alternative rock sounds of the likes of Pavement, but seemed to suffer a little with nerves on the night. When they hit top gear, especially on the monster-riffed ‘Fin’, they were magnificent, delivering a seriously heavy rock sound that was beastly in its delivery. Next up, Dan Cox & The Blackbirds. Their name may suggest a jaunt down rural Americana but, instead, offered some fairly standard chirpy indie-rock with enough good hooks to suggest that they are on their way to finding their feet.

As the sound of air raid sirens filled the room, Otherkin took to the stage – all with matching two-tone black and white coloured hair, their nod to Halloween. Far from the grave, their set was bursting with life and energy. Frontman Luke Reilly had all of the star qualities requisite for a rock singer, sitting at that sweet spot between confidence and arrogance. Live, the band have a tightness combined with an endearing ramshackle quality and it is easy to see why there have been comparisons with the likes of The Libertines.

Naturally for a group at this stage in their career, the set was short, being made up solely with tracks from the debut album OK. Of those, ‘Treat Me So Bad’ was the most infectious, along with ‘Feel It’. Reilly wandered amongst the crowd at various points throughout the night, sometimes as if just to see what was going on but often to start a mini circle pit before retreating to the comparative safety of the stage. Far from a one man band, ‘Enabler’ showcased the power and the fury that guitarist Conor Wynne brings to Otherkin. It is a real headbanger of a track, reverberating around the room, all the time daring you not to lose your mind to it. While Reilly and Wynne had the showier parts to play, David Anthony (bass) and Rob Summons (drums) kept the show rumbling along all the while.

Swinging the mic into the stand for the audience to sing “AY AY” for them, it was a nice moment that summed up the camaraderie between the band and their fans. It is the kind of reciprocal love that generates a fierce loyalty and builds a strong word-of-mouth effect. It is easy to become hyperbolic when writing and reviewing the latest hot band but, on this occasion, it feels apt. As the tour trundles on into Europe this week, it is undoubtedly just the start of a long journey for Otherkin towards those stadium shows. Those of us who were present tonight will be able to boast about the time we saw them blow the bloody roof off at The Hope & Ruin.

Jamie Macmillan

Website: otherkinok.com
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