Live Review + Gallery | Porcelain @ The Grove, Newcastle

Porcelain | Idle Hands | Central Arcade

The Grove, Newcastle

Photography by Lauren Peters

Laura Rosierse

Laura is a creative writer and events producer based in the north east with a love for most genres including but not limited to punk, alt rock, folk and indie!

Newcastle’s fast rising alternative shoegaze outfit Porcelain confidently headline The Arcade with support from Central Arcade and Idle Hands

Porcelain have shown their worth and hype by filling out The Grove’s live venue with support from local hard hitters Central Arcade and Idle Hands. Young and hungry indie pop outfit Central Arcade, who opened the evening, impressed from the get-go with their energetic live performance.

Strong performances from all within the band, including a stand in guitarist and a drummer that gave it his all, made them a band we’d eagerly watch live again! Central Arcade have been building a solid fan base through regular gigs throughout the North East and seem to be ready for the next step.

Idle Hands delivered an even more ferocious alternative rock set with hints of punk and indie. They smashed it out of the park with dark and heavy tracks that had the venue bouncing and their audience moshing. Not all can pull off performing like they’re possessed, but Idle Hands’ singer knew how to tell his story, dragging us all down with him. Albeit lots louder and with a sound that is hard to ignore, Idle Hands were still a perfect support for the more refined and introspective sound of Porcelain.

Porcelain’s wandering soundscapes and soaring vocal lines, incredibly well delivered by singer Curtis, always make for a greatly atmospheric evening, and this was no exception. Clearly a band of friends that are well rehearsed, Porcelain played in front of what might have been their biggest crowd so far and seemed at ease with the size of their stage. Looking like naturals and sounding like professionals, this might have been one of Porcelain’s best performances so far.

They performed previously released singles ‘The Opportunist’, a favourite, and ‘Hearsay’, and introduced ‘Fingertips,’ the title track of their upcoming debut EP. Deliciously slick guitar riffs, heavy drums, strong bass lines, soaring keys and sharp vocals make Porcelain a band to watch and listen out for!