Live Review + Gallery | Floodlights + Tooth @ The Shacklewell Arms, London

Floodlights 2025

Shacklewell Arms, London

21st October

Zosia Kibalo

Photographer trying to capture all the colours of the world one gig at a time. I love experimenting with my photos, both digitally and old school arts and crafts style. I also find my voice through writing about art in any shape or form. Catch me hopping around grassroots venues bopping my head and camera to some good tunes!

A magical night of discovery thanks to Aussie rockers Floodlights show at The Shacklewell Arms, London

There’s something magical about walking into a gig with no expectations and leaving with two new bands to obsess over. That’s exactly what happened when Tooth and Floodlights took the stage – the evening unfolding into the kind of beautiful chaos that reminds you why live music exists in the first place.

Tooth opened with the kind of joyful mess you can’t fake. Their set was loose but magnetic, powered by a beautiful rhythm section that never let go of the groove. There’s a youthful innocence to their presence, but the lyrics hint at something larger, more searching. It’s that contrast – the exuberance of youth underscored by surprisingly weighty words – that makes them so compelling. They might still be finding their polish, but their joy is infectious and their potential undeniable.

Then came Floodlights, a band that doesn’t hurry their emotions. Each song felt like a journey, shifting naturally from melancholy to joy to full-blown euphoria. They know how to let the music breathe, drawing us into every rise and fall and giving us time to feel the weight and warmth of what they were sharing.

The lead vocals were outstanding, one of the best I’ve ever encountered – rich, expressive, and commanding – Louis Parsons’s voice filled every corner of the room. The backing vocals deserve a spotlight too: they didn’t simply echo, but wove in tension and warmth, creating subtle shades within the sound.

And yes, more harmonica solos, please. There’s something about that instrument – wild yet intimate – that cuts straight through, and it deserves a stronger place in live music.

Their song ‘JOY’ was my favourite of the night: luminous, layered, and utterly moving, with harmonies that built tension and warmth in equal measure. As the performance drew to a close, the two members on backing vocals stepped closer to the audience, softly repeating, their voices close to whisper:

Joy, joy, joy

Joy, joy, joy is everything

Joy, joy, joy is everything.

To say I was hooked would be an understatement.

When the set drew to a close, the crowd sang and swayed together – a view that perfectly captured the beauty and joy of live music. It was one of those moments where you feel less like a spectator and more like a part of something special.

I came in knowing nothing and left with two bands I’ll be watching very closely – because for one night, they made everything feel alive. I walked out of the venue, straight onto Bandcamp, and bought every Floodlights release I could find. I’m already burning them onto CDs for my walkman. I think that says it all.