If, for whatever reason, Indoor Pets are not yet on your radar, it’s about time for you to pay attention. The band released their debut album Be Content back in March to uproarious praise from critics and fans alike. Their tongue-in-cheek power-pop stylings had the Weezer comparisons flooding in, but at the same time, there’s something of a “je-nais-se-quois” quality; something not so easy to put your finger on. So the question now is what makes these gangly Kent-dwelling lads so unique? Well, the best place to start would probably be their live show.
Playing Scala in London is a right of passage for pretty much any English indie band, and Indoor Pets made the most of the opportunity. With in-jokes and niches puns playing out before the set even starts, the band finally come out opening with the coupling of ‘Cutie Pie, I’m Bloated’ and ‘Hi’. The personality of Indoor Pets is immediately obvious with whimsy and banter and stage presence that reminds you of The Hives. It’s an energy that centres around lead singer Jamie Glass.
Jamie is a man with a famously cartoonish appearance - wild hair and wide-rimmed glasses. If anything, his appearance is an extension of the energy and animation you'd expect from a character like him. His vivacity shows itself during songs like ‘Thick’ and ‘Couch’, as he throws himself across the stage and into the crowd to a degree bordering on self-detriment. But the crowd don’t seem to mind, as an impressive mass of pit warriors come together during anthemic bops like ‘Teriyaki’ and ‘Spill (My Guts)’, even inciting a couple of circle pits.
The setlist itself is filled with deep cuts and general crowd pleasers - although this was a crowd that wasn’t that hard to please. The insatiable spirit coming from said audience was equaled only by the band themselves. While Jamie leads the charge, all four boys in the band have their moment to shine, playing in harmony with a genuine chemistry that only serves to add strength to the band’s performance, as it ebbs and flows throughout the night. Even slower moments like 'The Mapping of Dandruff’ have their moments, as Jamie sings the line, “I’m so human, it hurts” with genuine pain in his eyes, walking the fine line between bombastic and emotive.
They end the set with their seminal anthem ‘Pro Procrastinator’, and the energy in the room is just as full on as when the band first came on. Essentially playing the whole album in full, the night is as satisfying for a true Indoor Pets fan as it could possibly get. But, on the off-chance that anyone in that crowd had never heard of Indoor Pets before, that had just wandered in from the street by accident, it’s hard to imagine that they were at all disappointed. With the punk rock spirit that lived through the set, and the band’s carefree brand of performing & stage antics, it’s safe to say everyone in that venue walked out entertained.
