Live Review: The Snuts - O2 Forum Kentish Town, London 04/11/2021
Having sold out O2 Forum Kentish Town as well as most of their 24-date tour, and with the promise on social media of ‘a special encore’, The Snuts’ London gig was destined to be a great one.
As the crowd pushed up against the barrier and voiceovers echoed through the venue, silhouettes appeared behind the white sheet that masked the stage. With the heavy drum beats and the rich guitar riff of ‘Glasgow’, the curtain dropped to reveal The Snuts in all their glory. Mosh pits opened and the mood and energy levels for the rest of the night were set; boisterous, excited, and constantly moving!
In the fashion expected from most indie bands, The Snuts rolled wordlessly from hit to hit, starting with ‘Seasons’, with no pause in-between other than to change guitars; something which lead singer Jack did in-between almost every song. Judging by the guitar rack in the wings of the stage, I’d guess they have a van just for his kit alone!
With the change to an acoustic guitar came the entrance of a cellist. The crowd calmed ever-so-slightly for the band’s beautiful rendition of ‘Top Deck’, after which Jack thanked the crowd for continuing to support and give them the chance to make the dream they’ve had since they met at school come true.
After some swaying of bodies and arms in the air to the rich melody of ‘Somebody Loves You’, accompanied by the cellist, two violins and a viola, the moshing returned, and green lasers streaked across the stage for ‘Coffee & Cigarettes’. Just when it seemed like the atmosphere couldn’t get any livelier, BEMZ, who’d been the support act earlier in the night, made his return entrance, rapped over the track, and the crowd exploded instantaneously.
‘What’s going on’ followed, and the crowd screamed and chanted relentlessly for more as the band left the stage, eager for the special encore they’d been promised and told to stick around for just hours earlier.
The band returned in the darkness to the sound of dystopian voiceovers and crackling, before a new backdrop reading ‘Burn the Empire’ was revealed in violent green capitals. They debuted their brand-new song to a hysterically enthusiastic crowd – a punky indie-rock anthem that The Snuts said is first and foremost a protest song, about today’s empire of ‘corrupt corporations and bastard politicians; an educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern. Burn the empire.’ The Snuts have made it clear that they don’t just make songs to sing-along and mosh to - they’ve got a political statement to share, and they’re going to play it loud enough that you’ve got no choice but to hear it.
Words and Photography by Alice Sutton