You know it’s set to be a fantastic gig when four chaps from Manchester can storm onstage with such a rockstar-esque presence and rile a sold out crowd to start mosh-pits before they have even hit one note. Yes, tonight was set to be probably the best gig I have been to in 2016.

Spring King have plummeted into the vast world of indie pop-punk over the last couple of years, it hasn’t been a quick ride to success though. Drummer and solo producer, Tarek Musa put the concept of Spring King together in 2012 and since then, they have gone on to release a handful of EPs and singles. The first EP, Demons, demonstrated the post-punk roots of Spring King, sound-wise this falls at the feet of The Strokes’ early stuff, combined with the fun and tempo of Eagles of Death Metal. From here, they went on to release 2015’s They’re Coming After You – a five track long, whistle-stop tour of the more experimental side of the group. Along with these EPs, singles have come in the form of last year’s ‘Who Are You?’ – a thumping, blister of a ride through the sleaze and murk of garage rock’n’roll and this years ‘Rectifier’, a song that although only released on Monday was still generating sing-alongs two days after. So, with all this excitement buzzing around, I was shivering with anticipation to see a band that took from so many of my favourite bands. How could guitar music be made as relevant as it once was? Step forward Spring King.

Spring King sold out this show completely, no matter how hard you tried to beg and plead there were no tickets left on the door whatsoever. However, selling out a show at the other side of the country would suggest that Spring King had played down here a few times, slaving away to build a fanbase in the south. That’s all wrong though, this was their first headline show in Brighton. Opening the set, they resorted back to 2014’s happy-go-lucky ‘Better Man’, a song that dances along to its own melody and upbeat drive and groove. It whistles around The Hope & Ruin sending a tightly packed crowd into frenzies. The difference you instantly notice between Spring King and other guitar bands of recent times is their innate ability to write a melody that shouts itself, the hooks that swamp within songs such as ‘Better Man’ stick to you like glue and refuse to let you wrestle yourself loose.

Next up was the new track titled ‘Detroit’, a song that packs into its sound the pace and garage rock tempo that the likes of Brighton’s Demob Happy have shown us in recent times. ‘Detroit’ is a song that promises the intimacy of The Hope a chance to have a good dance and shake around. The set follows this heavy, defined rock’n’roll groove as it erupts into the Cage the Elephant styled ‘Demons’; this gets the crowd singing along in unison as the chorus chants itself in some tribal, hellish, demonic form. The key to a lot of Spring Kings’ success in their melody and songwriting is the use of united vocals, at most times all four members will sing, making their vocals stand louder and stronger than they could of done individually. It is this that gives them a real ‘gang’ image as a band, something that the likes of The Libertines et al have lead us to believe in previous years. They seem exceptionally cool and collected as there is no obvious frontman – the best things always come in fours it appears.

Singles such as ‘Rectifier’ and ‘Who Are You?’ demonstrated the ability that Spring King can write singles that are worthy of heavy radio-play, these blistering tracks use hooks in the choruses that are catchy in every sense of the word. The type of songs that will have audiences yelling them in unison in no time whatsoever. They show why Spring King are never to be playing venues this small again, this is a band that write songs that are capable of much bigger venues. Even as irritations came in at the thought that this was a band that are a one trick pony, a band that are only capable of writing 120mph garage rock songs, they prove me wrong and collapse into the experimental, groove laden ‘They’re Coming After You’. This stood out as a defining moment in the set for me as it showed that they had an awareness as a band that dynamics within a set are so important. The song played on down tempo beats and washed out guitar tones that utilised hazy psychedelia as a point of reference as much as garage rock’n’roll.

Ultimately, Spring King really allowed me to believe that rock’n’roll music has an exceptionally bright future still. With a sound that takes from the Pixies, 60s garage music and early Kings Of Leon stuff, circa Youth and Young Manhood, they proved that big hooks are so key to writing the perfect pop song. Choruses loomed large and as promised sings along and crowd surfers. On top of the music, the down to earth, honest nature of the band really stood out. Drummer, Tarek Musa was witty and charming towards the crowd, you got a sense that this was not a parading of egos but instead a return to the true gang image of bands that allowed us all to fall in love with this sort of music in the first place. Bravo Spring King.
Tom Churchill

Website: springkingband.com
Facebook: facebook.com/springkingmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/springkingband