More about: Wallows

Back on the land of some of their lasting inspirations Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, The Strokes and modern British Indie icons The 1975, The Kooks and The Wombats, Southern California’s Wallows prove that they are Generation Z’s answer to all of the above. 

When we think of Wallows, admittedly there is one massive gateway their 7 million Spotify monthly listeners and legion of dedicated fans found this band. When hard hitting Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why burst onto our screens in 2017, little did many of its millions of viewers know that Clay Jenson, aka actor Dylan Minette was pursuing lead singer duties with Wallows and unless you was high school friends with the American trio or was at Warped Tour 2011 when Wallows went under their former alias Feaver, you probably never ever knew the existence of Wallows. 

But that was Wallows best kept secret. When the aftermath of Thirteen Reasons Why revealed Minette, alongside teenage friends Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston’s musical endeavour, songs like the bands 2017 smash hit singles 'Pleaser', 'Sun Tan' and 'Uncomfortable' made people fall in lifelong love with Wallows because of Wallows and not Minette’s name at the end of Thirteen Reasons Why’s credits. 

Since then, the Southern Californian three piece have gone onto releasing two studio albums, 2019’s Nothing Happens and 2022’s Tell Me That It’s Over, albums that inject some youthful exuberance into classic vintage sounding indie music. And on the show stopping finale to their UK run of dates down at Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo, Wallows’ woozy anthems engulfed Eventiem Apollo like a warm hug from a friend you haven’t seen in ages. 

If it wasn’t the visceral reaction to vocalist Dylan Minette whipping out his harmonica for fan favourite opener 'I Don’t Want To Talk' it was the London crowd mimicking every guitar driven riff back at Wallows throughout 'Treacherous Doctor' and like putty in the palm of their hands, the crowd goes crazy on Dylan’s instruction “London, when this song comes back in I want you to go crazy okay?” and expending every inch of energy left like this as their last show on earth, crazy they went. 

Pandemonium levels of serotonin and ear defining screams aside, perhaps the biggest band to crowd connection comes the form of seeing a largely young crowd connecting to guitar driven music that seamlessly blends the sounds of 80’s jangly surf rock with a naughties influence of indie synth. Alongside emotive, romantic and heart on sleeve lyrics everybody that packs out the Apollo singing back the lyrics to 'Wish Me Luck', 'Pictures Of Girls' and '1980’s Horror Film II' with every piece of their heart hanging on every lyrics that leaves Wallows’ mouths. 

“We are a little band from Southern California and to come all the way over here is unbelievable. This is one of those nights we will look back on and it will be surreal to us” speaks Dylan Minette at the disbelief of being able to transfer from the originally sold out smaller sized venue of the o2 Academy Brixton and still shift remaining tickets of the slightly more spacious Eventim Apollo, a stones throw across the road in Hammersmith. But being a band that by now are no strangers to London, this show felt like Wallows lampshade lit cosy home away from home with a couple thousands friendly faces they haven’t seen in a while. 

However, like all good things they must come to an end and the way Wallows ended their fleeting London visit will remain in the sentimental memories of everyone present forever. Whether it be the euphoria of being transported back to Wallows debut performance at last years Reading & Leeds Festival during 'Remember When' to the outpouring of tears throughout 'Guitar Romantic Search Adventure', Minette looking like something send down from heaven, as a rainbow backdrop and single spotlight circles him like a glowing halo and the final farewell vibes being picked back up again for closer 'Are You Bored Yet?' Wallows throughout every catchy lyric and every infectious melody radiated pure joy and happiness around Hammersmith like the warm ray of Californian Sunshine they are.

See the view from the pit, captured by Briony Graham-Rudd:

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More about: Wallows