Liverpudlian band The Night Café have had a pretty hectic year. With 3 tours under their belt, multiple EPs, umpteen festival performances, and having supported fellow Scousers, The Wombats, the band brought their electric live show to Glasgow for a sold-out gig in Saint Luke’s.
Upon arriving at Saint Luke’s, we were greeted by a swarm of people waiting to get in to the venue. If I’m honest, the majority of the crowd seemed underage and drunk; but, upon closer inspection there was a noticeable variation in ages of fans – The Night Café seem to be one of the few indie bands who currently appeal to more than just one generation. This Scouse quartet are yet to release their debut album, yet the venue was filled from corner to corner of what could only be described as die-hard fans. Not even two songs into their set, as fan favourite track ‘Mixed Signals’ began, the crowd erupted into a sea of mosh pits and people upon shoulders.
Despite being relatively new to the music scene, The Night Café have a sound so harmonious with each other, and a great maturity that it would be easy to compare them to bands who have been together for decades. Their songs are addictive and they have proved themselves with choruses that you cannot help but sing along to, perfectly demonstrated when the first chords of ‘The Way of Mary’ began.
The crowd itself could be perfectly summed up with one word: loyal. Having only just started listening to the band a few days prior to seeing them, I was taken aback with just how plentiful and engaged their crowd seemed to be. Without a doubt, every song The Night Café played was echoed back to them by the high-powered crowd. Even their more empathic and softer songs ‘Time’ and ‘Addicted’ still managed to rile up the committed crowd. Their performance of ‘Felicity’ gaged a reaction from the crowd that was so honest and carefree that it would be easy to assume that this will be one of their ‘flagship’ tracks.
It must be said that their beautifully simple and effortless stage set up only furthered the aesthetic and talent of the band. There was no need for fancy graphics and light displays to show the undeniable originality of the band – which is hard to come around when it comes to indie bands. Their set oozed total ‘band in a garage’ vibes. In quite a short set, they managed to pack in enough zealous energy and attitude to fulfil their full tour.
The melancholy, yet upbeat ‘You Change with the Seasons’ provided a perfect ending to their dazzling set with its seamless harmony of beats. Effortless and dexterous, The Night Café are a band whom make it almost impossible for you to not get their songs stuck in your head for days on end, and I would be surprised to see anyone go to a gig of theirs and not leave a fan. With this band’s distinctive, unshakeable sound and unique character, they will only continue to grow their already devoted fanbase.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
By Emma Malcolmson
