with Redrock and Piston Slap
Stepping into Firebug for a gig is always an exciting experience for me. Such a well-established venue always offers the most extensive variety of live performances that will always grab the attention of music fans and fond gig-goers.
Day Job (formerly known as We be Beasts) stepped up on stage on this lively Friday night, along with the well-known Piston Slap and the hidden gem RedRock. Each band performed a unique set and had the crowd on their feet with each song.
First up was Redrock– a band I had not seen before. I absolutely did not expect such a duo to be so in sync with one another. The friendship and communication were impeccable, leading to a flawless performance. My only scrutiny would be to ensure both members are engaging with the crowd, so that attention will be spread across the stage and would make the set fuller.
The combination of acoustic guitars and clean yet powerful vocals resonate across the room and blew me away. I see many good things coming for RedRock, and would strongly encourage you, fellow readers, to check them out.
Piston Slap followed RedRock and put on a show that only they could do. Following their recent headliner at The Shed in Leicester, Piston Slap kept that energy up and turned up the noise by 110%, by incorporating incredible drums and fuzz into the guitar riffs. I admire the humour Piston Slap exhibits on stage, they connect with the audience deeply and make the set more humanised, which I believe a lot of musicians neglect when performing at local venues.
A mixture of covers and originals had given the perfect mix of tracks to perform and was an overall thrilling and engaging performance. I enjoyed the transition from acoustic guitars to a more plugged-in performance, and Piston Slap are always a good choice for instances like this.
The headliners Day Job rounded up the show with an extensive performance packed with new tracks and some old ones- for old time’s sake. I was a little confused watching the bassist bouncing around when the drummer and guitarist/vocalist were essentially stationary, this could have been detrimental to the set as many people were attempting to process the energy being given off rather than connecting with the music.
However, despite this, they saw through copious tracks that many people cheered to. A solid collection of fans were clearly thrilled to be there, which warmed my heart. Additionally, I loved seeing the vocalist/guitarist interact with his biggest fan- his mother! This added so many layers of charm to the set, I could not help but smile for the rest of the night.
Their sound ticked many boxes, and each song was not the same. The versatility of the style of each song was impressive, and I hope to see Day Job mature their stage presence to deliver this to a wider audience.
See a snippet of Day Job’s performance here.
Discover more upcoming gigs at Firebug here.
Reviewed by Imogen Cresswell
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