Superfood are a band with an awful lot of buzz around them. Their sound is certainly one of the most experimental and unique on the scene today and, with their new long-awaited record just around the corner, it is no surprise that tonight’s show is incredibly rowdy, full of energy and has some of the strongest funk vibes The Haunt has ever seen.

Tonight’s first support are Pale Waves, a Manchester band who simply blow every support act I’ve seen out of the water. Pale Waves have overnight become a new favourite band of mine and their sound is simply sublime: a dreamy, bouncy euphoria fills the room and vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie’s tones are beyond unbelievable, sending pure shivers down the spine. I can guarantee Pale Waves are set to be huge and this will not be the last time you hear their name.

Up next are King Nun and, whilst their sound could not be more contrasted to Pale Waves, their execution of pure, intense punk is fantastic. As soon as the band begin to thrash around the stage, the crowd respond equally energetically by bashing into one another and mosh pits begin to open up across the venue floor. King Nun’s set sounds incredible and their equally grungy attitudes add to the overall performance in such a way that it is simply mesmerising. Following both of these acts, Superfood certainly have a lot to live up to.

The room has filled nicely and whilst it has been busier, I am not sure it has ever reached the level of liveliness that is about the ensue. Opening with the single release from their new record ‘Double Dutch’ the crowd are already bouncing about and singing along to the new record. There is an immense level of response to the track and frontman Dom Ganderton’s vocals are executed brilliantly, his high vocals in particularly are a work of art in themselves. The liveliness only continues to grow as the band head into ‘Lily For Your Pad To Rest On’, which met by a choir of shouts during the infectious chorus as Superfood begin to find their flow.

For me, the highlight of Superfood comes in the form of their bassist, Emily Baker. Her riffs simply carry the entire performance and provide enough funk to steal the show by herself. Bassists are so often overlooked and whilst Emily does not demand the spotlight, her riffs very much do the talking. When Superfood do demonstrate some of their new material especially, it all holds an extraordinary amount of emphasis on the bass through both new wave funk and reggae styled vibes. One of the new tracks is even called ‘Where’s The Bass Amp?’, the song is a brilliant opportunity for Emily to showcase her talents and the crowd respond by morphing into a sea of swirling and dancing.

The overall energy from the crowd only continues to grow and grow and, by the time the encores of ‘Superfood’ and ‘TV’ are played, the crowd is reeling in every aspect of the sound. Superfood’s dominating stage presence has clearly made for a performance that is both engaging and brought an awful lot of joy to this crowd. It is clear that many have been long awaiting Superfood’s return and the band have by no means slipped out of the public eye. Every band tonight has played sublimely and certainly given this audience their money’s worth! The Dirty Hit record label, of which all three acts belong to, have clearly found some absolute gems with this lineup! I can’t wait to see not only how Superfood grow, but where both King Nun and Pale Waves will also end up as all three of these acts are truly something special.
Ben Walker

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