By Willow Shiels
To kick off the night, blazer clad Brighton band LIME start with new song ‘Pulp’. They set the tone for the night with twangy electric guitars accompanied by the poetic vocals of Chloe Howard. Surrounded by The Close Encounter Club set, filled with plants and an intergalactic light show all within Battersea Arts Club. LIME released their debut single ‘Surf n Turf’ in February this year which they set firmly in the middle of the set amidst new synth driven track ‘Rolling’ and equally notable and refreshing new songs ‘Bread’ and ‘Swedish long ball’. With twangs of The Orielles and bands like Do Nothing, LIME are definitely a promising one to watch.
Second up was Brighton band Chappaqua Wrestling, who’s presence shifted the tone towards sunny surf rock. Chappaqua Wrestling started their set by talking to fans on the screens, which were projected directly opposite the band while they were performing vocalist and guitarist Charlie Woods said “It’s like a giant version of chat roulette”. It can be difficult to create an atmosphere and a ‘vibe’ during a live stream due to the disconnect from fan to artist.
The Close Encounter Club have done the best that could’ve been done, complete with live chats and a lot of dancing in bedrooms. Chappaqua Wrestling played their acclaimed singles ‘Football’, ‘Plant Trees’ and ‘Early’ with new songs cheekily slipped in between. Coming to the end of their set, they played a grungy mash-up of Dua Lipa’s ‘Don’t Start Now’ and Chris Issak’s ‘Wicked Game’ which was loved by fans and artists alike. Their new electric, grungy single ‘The Rift’ topped off their set.
Headliner THE MYSTERINES kicked off their massive set with new track ‘I Win Everytime’, the camera panned to the audience on the screen and most people were on their feet having a boogie to the rip-roaring tunes of THE MYSTERINES, the atmosphere in the livestream became quite visceral and emotional. It was a livestream to try and make everyone feel better about being isolated but in some ways, seeing everyone made it harder and the yearning for live music was very apparent in the audience that night. Everyone was missing being in a sweaty crowd with THE MYSTERINES being the perfect soundtrack to a chaotic night in the pit.
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