More about: CRAWLERS

What we once thought was just a mere trend, the emo wave really is showing no sign of slowing. Morphing from sub-genre to sub-genre, borrowing bits of pure grunge and classic rock power ballads - Crawlers london show was a feast of modern angst.

The rolling from genre to genre was probably shown best in the supports. Hannah Grae captivated the crowd with her 90s Alanis Morrisette power vocals coming screaming out from her unassuming stage persona and sweet welsh talking voice, the climax of ‘Hell Is A Teenage Girl’ left the audience quite literally standing with their jaws on the floor. While Daisy Brain strayed down traditional grunge roots, with Will Tse doubled over his guitar with his blue hair like the double of Kurt Cobain, ready to be an icon for the modern wave. It’s Daisy Brain that prepares the crowd for the noise, thankfully reigned in by the unsung hero of the sound tech that made sure the chaos never outweighed the music, managing to keep it tight and audible without derailing into ear shattering levels.

I think that was something really notable all night, nothing ever got too chaotic. An apt description on the day of their mixtape release, Loud Without Noise is a perfect statement on the grow of not only Crawlers, but this entire scene of TikTok-led punky sounds. Managing to keep a tight hold on their sound, the crowd and doing justice to the songs while honouring the fun of a live experience, it was all surprisingly neat.

Now would be a perfect time to address the elephant in the room. Back in April, I went down to an earlier Crawlers show in a far smaller venue. While complimentary about the band, my major concerns were one of safety as around 5 people had to be removed from the crowd and emergency services called. Discussing with their team after, its become clear in the following months that they shared the concerns, even prefacing this tour with a twitter thread on gig etiquette and safety, educating their young fans who might have never been to a show before on the basics of it all. Maybe helped by the bad weather cutting down the amount of people queuing for hours prior (though the queue did still double round the corner with dedicated fans), or maybe the colder weather keeping fans cool and calm or even just the bigger venue providing a safer space for less crushing - everyone got through the show unscathed with no assistance needed! Completely at odds to the last show, the atmosphere felt safe, sensitive and overwhelmingly supportive, as lead singer Holly Minto kept a close eye on the crowd, keeping them excited with their silly on-stage chit chat but ensuring no one ever got too riled up. 

And the two definitely feed into each other. With the crowd under control, the sound could reign as the most important thing. Allowing the audience to fully dive in, scream along and enjoy the tracks as they weave between angsty heaviness to softer sides, on either end of the spectrum it’s clear they resonate with their crowd as tears flow and hands are clapped raw. ‘Hang Me Like Jesus’ sticks out as something special, showing a gentler side and letting the lyrics come into focus. Stilling the crowd for a moment, Holly’s voice comes through crisp and beautiful. 

As Holly grabs the trumpet and the whole crowd joins in for a mass singalong of their breakthrough track ‘Come Over (again)’, my overwhelming feeling is that the kids are alright. Platforming three of the most exciting acts in rock at the moment, all moving in their own distinct sound with unwavering support from audiences won over within a couple of songs, Daisy Brain and Hannah Grae left with new fans for sure. And for Crawlers, they won me over. A band that are clearly maturing and asking their fans to mature with them as they show clear dedication to safety and making a secure space for their live shows - the improvement since last time is hope inspiring.

See the view from the pit, as captured by Nick Allan:

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More about: CRAWLERS