Review: Everything Everything, Thumpers, Outfit

Liverpudlian five-piece Outfit have just released their debut psychedelic-pop album ‘Performance’ and are on top form tonight, despite the venue only being half full. Leading with the eerie ‘House on Fire’, Outfit are an interesting new band that know what they want to say and have a unique way of saying it.

London based alt-pop duo Thumpers are up next and they rattle through their 30 minute set, squeezing in 7 songs. Recently signed to US label Sub Pop Records, Thumpers, clearly on a high, are joined on stage by a few more musicians to help create their signature joyful sound. Complete with hand claps and a trumpet, they make the kind of music that reminds you of a long summer night – gentle, interesting and with bags of potential. Promoting their upcoming single ‘Sound of Screams’, the band offers the crowd flyers and free downloads and it’s safe to say that they've gained a few more fans tonight. 

Currently on an extensive tour of the UK and Ireland, indie pop quartet Everything Everything are one of this year’s most highly anticipated acts, having released their second studio album earlier this year. The crowd tonight features a mix of ages, and there’s a surprising amount of older fans at this show; Everything Everything’s musical style, while it isn’t for everyone, appears to afford them broad appeal. The place has filled up quite nicely (especially for a Wednesday night) and an eerie blue light floods the stage. The audience cheers as the band dive right into the intense, but catchy ‘Undrowned’ from their recent album ‘Arc’.

This is the band's first headlining gig in Belfast, but the audience sing their hearts out to everything from debut single ‘Suffragette, Suffragette’ to chart hit ‘Kemosabe’ and their newest offering ‘Don't Try’. There's even a beautiful moment where the rest of the band exit the stage, leaving frontman Jonathon Higgs alone for the emotive solo ‘Tin (The Manhole)’. However, as he wails the final line "I was but a drop in the ocean all along", the crowd can be heard chatting loudly - the moment is lost, the band has re-assembled and it's back to business. 

The crowd go wild as the band finally stutter and stomp their way through ‘Cough Cough’, the track that everyone wants to hear. From the reception, it is clear that Everything Everything have finally arrived.

Laura Caldwell