Trash Boat - O2 Institute, Birmingham 12.09.2019
With festival season now all but over, the return of smaller intimate shows are upon us. Tonight is no exception as we have Trash Boat headlining the Birmingham O2 Institute 2, with a well stacked support in the form of Woes, Doll Skin and Capstan.
Unfortunately I don’t arrive in time to catch Woes set, so first up for me is the fantastic four-piece Doll Skin. They waste absolutely no time in getting stuck in, as guitarist Alex Snowden’s solo in opening track ‘Daughter’ sets the venue alight. A handful of songs later we are treated to arguably the highlight of the set in ‘Love Is Dead And We Killed Her’, which is the title track of their new album that was released recently. If this single is anything to go by then this album will be well worth checking out. Doll Skin are a band with tons of attitude and are definitely one of the most enjoyable bands of the night based off of the crowds reactions.
Capstan are next to take to stage, and tonight happens to also be their first ever Birmingham show. You wouldn’t know it though, as the crowd react to them as if they’re a band who’s passed through here many times before, they look right at home in this now fully packed out Institute 2. They put on an enjoyable set to say the least, with 'Starts Before The Sun' and the acoustic 'Can't.Lie.Around.Remembering.Everything' both going down very favourably.
Last but not least it’s Trash Boat who are up. We’ve been treated to a lot of strong talent tonight in the support acts but it’s worth pointing out that Trash Boat have done remarkably well to build up such a great reputation with live audiences for a band that hasn't been around for all that long. There's no reason why tonight's support can't do the exact same in the not too distant future.
I make the mistake of telling one of my fellow photographers before their set that I’ve never been kicked out of the photo pit because of crowd surfers before – and of course, exactly that happened as we are asked to leave part way through 3rd song ‘Tiring Quarry’ as the crowd are coming over the barrier in the dozens.
The set list consists of a good balance of songs from both of their albums. ‘Undermine’ stands out as a highlight and is being played in the UK for the first time during this tour, as it has been a highly requested fan favourite for a while. Another special mention goes to the acoustic ‘Love, Hate, React, Relate’, which is dedicated in the memory of several of the band members dogs that sadly passed away recently, if that doesn’t class as a tear jerker then nothing will.
Leading into the curtain closer, vocalist Tobi Duncan tells the crowd “there isn’t a place in the world where I’d rather be right now” before Trash Boat bring the house down with the enormous ‘Strangers’. All in all tonight was a fantastic night of live music, and a great showcase of newer fresh blood that are knocking on the door in the scene right now, exciting things to come from this whole line up.
Trash Boat - https://www.facebook.com/TrashBoatUK/
Capstan - https://www.facebook.com/capstanband/
Doll Skin - https://www.facebook.com/dollskinband/
Photos & Review - Sam Robinson Photography
