Gig: Spanish Love Songs with Heart Attack Man and SUDS at Engine Rooms, Southampton
SUDS
Last Saturday found us at the Engine Rooms in Southampton for the opening night of Spanish Love Songs' No Joy Live In Europe Tour. Joining the Los Angeles-based quintet were Heart Attack Man and one of our personal favourites, SUDS. Having witnessed both Spanish Love Songs and SUDS deliver killer sets last year, we were buzzing with anticipation for the night's action. We knew something special was about to brew in the packed Southampton venue.
SUDS
The night started in the best possible fashion as SUDS hit the stage. It’s no secret that we have been obsessed with the Norwich-based band since last year’s 2000trees. As Mae Cater played the first few notes of "A Terrible Thing" we knew that we were on to a winning set. The opening track from their recently released debut album The Great Overgrowth had us singing along from its opening notes.
For those who have not seen SUDS live they are just as phenomenal live as they sound on their recorded body of work. The band oozed cohesion, their onstage presence as infectious as their music. They banter between themselves and the crowd as effortlessly as a group of mates meeting in a pub. Their set burst with everything we craved: older tracks, current tracks, and even a glimpse into what's coming next for them.
Their recent singles flowed out at the set's start, "Paint My Body" morphing into "Changing," then bleeding into "Hard For Me." As they captured our attention (and the swelling crowd's), they defied the "first night of tour rustiness" trope. SUDS bloomed in full vibrancy from the get-go. Mae's vocals soared, clear and sweet as ever, while Jack Ames's drumming thundered live, propelling the band like a relentless force. Dan Godfrey's guitar was a tapestry of flawless riffs, and Harry Mitchell's bass laid down a groove so deep it could crack the floorboards.
After the electrifying string of recent singles, SUDS sprinkled an extra burst of magic on the night by unleashing a brand new track, "Hide and Seek," upon the unsuspecting crowd. Though still only a work in progress, the track boasts the same fire as their existing catalogue, leaving us buzzing with anticipation for what's next for the group.
Up next it was time for “Gone For Good” another brilliant cut from their debut, and then “Entropy” one of the band’s very first single releases back from when Jack and Harry first joined the line-up. The track laid the blueprint for their trademark current sound with its fusion of folk and emo influences and was a deserved inclusion in their set.
Then SUDS broke into one of their most visceral tracks “The Great Overgrowth”. Harry stepped up to sing the lines sung by Cal Hudson on the record. The track stands among the strongest in their current catalogue and was fittingly it was picked for a late slot in their set. When we thought things couldn’t get any better the band closed with "Freckle," our undisputed favourite from their debut. The "waited/wasted my whole life again" change punched us even deeper live than on record. It was a perfect ending to a perfect set, leaving us breathless and begging for more.
If you get the chance to see SUDS live, in the near or far future, drop everything and do it. You won't regret it.
Heart Attack Man
Following SUDS where Cleveland, Ohio’s Heart Attack Man. Their music itself is a glorious mess of punk rock, hardcore, and whatever else they feel like throwing in the blender. One minute you're headbanging to a hardcore-derived breakdown, then next you're bopping along to a surprisingly catchy pop-punk chorus. It's unpredictable, it's raw, and it's undeniably fun.
Heart Attack Man ripped open the night with the adrenaline-fuelled "Leap Year" and never let the tempo flag. Tracks like "Pitch Black" and "Out for Blood" were punk rock grenades detonating in the air, while "Clown School" and "C4" turned the Engine Rooms into a mini-moshpit mayhem.
The Southampton crowd were in their element, roaring along to every word of "Cut My Losses", "Fake Blood", and "Like A Kennedy". It was a singalong symphony of pure punk joy, fuelled by mosh pit camaraderie and the kind of energy that should come with a health warning. And then, they closed with the epic jam of "Freak Of Nature" – the title track from their latest album.
Spanish Love Songs
Finally, the moment arrived for Spanish Love Songs to rip through a blistering setlist on the opening night of their No Joy Live In Europe tour. Eschewing theatrics, the band leaned solely on the raw power of their music and the shared vulnerability it evokes.
Starting with a gut-wrenching "I'm Gonna Miss Everything," they plunged the room into a blue-washed introspection. Tracks like "Losers" and "Lifers" resonated with a millennial ache, while "Kick" and "Buffalo Buffalo" offered a poignant dance between despair and resilience.
Dylan Slocum's vocals were rawness personified, each syllable a testament to the weight of existence. The band, tight as a clenched fist, mirrored this intensity, driving every note home with precision and passion.
Standout moments were numerous. "Mutable's" gentle sway provided a brief respite before launching into the anthemic fury of "Here You Are." "Marvel" soared with melancholic beauty, and "Haunted" saw the room transformed into a communal chant against existential dread. Ending on a poignant note, "Brave Faces, Everyone" had Slocum leading the room in a final sing-along, a collective sigh of hope amidst the darkness.
Spanish Love Songs' music is more than just a performance; it's a shared experience, a brutal and beautiful mirror reflecting the anxieties and yearnings of our time. Theirs is a concert you don't just watch, you live. So, if they're coming your way, don't miss it. This band offers a catharsis you won't soon forget.
Catch the rest of Spanish Love Songs’s No Joy Live In Europe Tour.
19 Jan - Stylus Leeds United Kingdom
20 Jan - Club Academy Manchester United Kingdom
21 Jan - District Liverpool United Kingdom
23 Jan - Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff United Kingdom
24 Jan - The Fleece Bristol United Kingdom
26 Jan - O2 Institute 2 Birmingham United Kingdom
27 Jan - Electric Ballroom London United Kingdom
28 Jan- Chalk Brighton United Kingdom
30 Jan - Kavka Antwerp Belgium
31 Jan - Gebäude 9 Cologne Germany
Fri 2 Feb - Bahnhof Pauli Hamburg Germany
3 Feb - Badehaus Berlin Germany
4 Feb - Backstage Club Munich Germany
6 Feb - Arena Wien (Small Hall) Vienna Austria
8 Feb - Exil Zurich Switzerland
9 Feb - Oetinger Villa Darmstadt Germany
10 Feb - De Helling Utrecht Netherlands
