Live Review: The Heavy Heavy - Scala, London 19/02/2025
The Heavy Heavy are a band that can go full into rock concert mode when they want to and they brought back the 60s nostalgia for the night for an ode to Jefferson Airplane and the legacy acts that have made history. Debuting at Scala for the only night in London since the launch of their first album, One of a Kind, the band eats up the stage – led by the singer-songwriting duo of Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, who have – for all their Americana influences, hailed from Brighton. It’s like the reverse of discovering The Killers are American from Las Vegas, this is a band that feels so American you aren’t expecting them to be from Brighton but then their unmatched confidence gives most American acts a run for their money.
They debuted with a cheerful, era-blending opener that combined the soulful rock and roll with their unmatched confidence that had the crowd fully engaged throughout the night – no wonder the Guardian compared them to the early Stones and Fleetwood Mac; there was a real sense of stage presence in the room when they came onto a psychedelic trip that catapulted audiences into the atmosphere of the throwback sound they were trying to create. Fuller got the crowd energised, ramped up with constant clapping throughout the entire set; and there wasn’t a bored face in sight. Scala; a tightly packed venue – was sold out. Fuller and Turner more than stepped up to the occasion, accompanied by a melodic bass and keyboards that lend to the atmosphere. If anything the keyboards could’ve been turned down a little but still created an excellent vibe; and yes the comparisons are there to The Mamas & the Papas and Jefferson Airplane, but to call them purely a 70s nostalgia act would be redundant – The Heavy Heavy is something new; a band that has to be seen live to be experienced in their best form. If you want a night of cracking, pulsating energy; you’ll get few better.
Leading into jam territory at times the groovy atmosphere – and groovy is what this set very much was, had the audience popping. I’m a big fan of track opener Lemonade, which sets the mood for the evening in a swaggeringly triumphant fashion – “holding on to yester-evening, the dawning of all time,” and a song about falling in love sums up a charismatic, free-flowing, fun vibe where Fuller encourages the audience to bring the good vibes; whether they’re there as a date; platonically with friends or on a solo date – to bring the good energy flowing with them out of the venue and into the streets on their way home. “tell me, love has opened the door,” the song continues, “feel it, feel the fire once more,” and you’ll find yourself unable to – impossible to resist the charm.
On their European tour with the setlist largely unchanged from the Utrecht gig on Feb 12, getting to see Miracle Sun performed live is a pleasure that continues the free-flowing energy. The set-list is short – the band is done long before 10PM – perhaps appropriate for a Wednesday evening in February – but packed with energy that bands with much longer set-lists don’t have; or never get engaged for. The song has a lot of attitude to; telling the audience that they want to live how they want to live; and it doesn’t matter if they don’t understand it. Full of bravado and confidence it comes across in how skilled Fuller and Turner are at interacting with the crowd; delighting their fans. Fuller is the hypewoman as they transition genres into Feel for a rousing venture into britpop, showing their musical variety – and Go Down River is a raw venture in genre that feels faithful to a recreation of the time. One of my favourites off the new album, Cherry – is also on the cards on this set-list – soulful and smooth in its catchy; poppy chorus.
The Heavy Heavy are a band that wears their influences on their sleeve. It’s more rock-y than folk-y which caters towards an energetic Scala crowd; a tight-knight venue that sold out a few hours before stage time. They wanted to kick the door down with their debut album and come out of the gates firing and that’s exactly what they did on their live show – raw; loud and showcasing who they are from the word-go, rarely has a band arrived this full of identity from the off with this unmatched confidence. They more than live up to their album title – One of a Kind.
Support was provided by Bobby Lee & Joe Harvey Whyte, who joined The Heavy Heavy on stage for their set – Turner stating that he’d wanted to play with Whyte for over ten years. It’s been a project long in the making, and the vibes of a chilled out jam pairing really set the stage nicely. More publicising of the support could’ve been made as there wasn’t any announcement on Scala’s site or DICE – prompting many of the audience to show up late and miss a charming, mostly instrumental set.
It's impossible not to ignore the influences that The Heavy Heavy draw from – their single, Happiness, owes a lot to Creedence Clearwater Revival; playing to the songs’ strengths. It’s about an attempt to break free from loneliness by bringing a happy, energetic sound to the table – psych-pop on full display. The band even has time for Real Love Baby, a Father John Misty cover, aand an encore – because of course, when the crowd is into them that much, how can they not deliver one? Their single – Miles and Miles, proves to be a triumphant hit with this crowd; and I really like their carefully curated setlist. It moves like a charm and feels like a breeze – with the pumped up, rock-y energy that compels you to see them. For a Brighton band they don’t tour enough in the UK so be sure to see them next time they visit – their international swagger will propel them into the stratosphere sooner rather than later – and be sure to jump on board the hype while they’re still accessible at merch stands and happy to stick around for a chat after the show. One of a Kind indeed.
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
Photo credit: @thenicklanglois
