Photo: Adama Jalloh
In a small pub in a corner of south-east London, British psych-pop staples Childhood are set to make their long-overdue return after going into hiding to work on their highly-anticipated sophomore LP ‘Universal High’ (out July 21st on Marathon Artists).
As the band climb onto The Ivy House's confined stage - greeted by an eager, packed-out crowd - frontman Ben thanks everyone for travelling out to the ‘far-away lands of Nunhead’. This really isn’t the kind of place you’d expect to be seeing Childhood given the global success of the debut, but the small function room – looking more like a swanky 1930s theatre – is the perfect, intimate setting for the band to debut the new material with a crowd full of dedicated fans, friends and industry heads.
Complete with a brand-new line-up they’re joined on stage by two backing vocalists and a trumpet and saxophone player (the latter, Ben points out, actually being his dad). The new 70s aesthetic and added horn section are our first insights into what’s to come from the new Childhood and it's met with excited murmurs from the bustling crowd.
What follows is a set comprised mainly of new songs that mark an ambitious but totally brilliant reinvention for the five-piece. Having drifted from the shoegaze-y pop of their debut, these new songs delve deep into a joyous, enthralling ode to 70s soul – each song bounces around hazy pop synths, soulful falsetto vocals and emphatic choruses. It’s pretty far from what you’d expect from the band but it’s clear they’re more confident and assured than ever and everyone in that room seems to be loving every minute of it.
Halfway through the set, they take a break from the new stuff to play ‘You Could Be Different’ and ‘Blue Velvet’ - two lead singles from their 2014 album ‘Lacuna’. Although it might have come down to a few technical difficulties ('You Could Be...' was cut short because of feedback issues), these songs actually fail to pack the same punch when performed after the groovy, charismatic swagger of the new material. The only other oldie to make an appearance concludes the night, the familiar psychedelic bliss of ‘Solemn Skies’ – the chorus being screamed back at the band as the night draws to a close.
After hearing these new songs live, it’s clear Childhood are back with a vengeance - only this time it’s more The Isley Brothers than The Stone Roses. Although there’s the same psych-pop charm buried in there somewhere, this is the band sounding better than ever.
