More about: The Big Moon

A quick confession: tonight is my fifteenth time seeing The Big Moon. The London quartet are one of my very favourite bands; I saw them for the first time in 2015 supporting Peace at the Bodega in Nottingham, back when they were simply called The Moon, and naturally their name change is an apt reflection on their rise in popularity- things could only ever get big.

Since then, they’ve released a trilogy of albums that all beautifully capture the messiness and anxieties of young adulthood. Their Mercury-nominated debut Love in the 4th Dimension is a raucous burst of indie-rock energy accentuated by their trademark harmonic vocals and sense of uncontainable zest, followed by 2020’s Walking Like We Do, an album that unintentionally soundtracked many a lockdown, with many of the lyrical themes resonating deeply over that year (“we’re all moving on, and you’re better off now” goes the bridge of single ‘Barcelona’, an ode to seeing friends drift away). Last year, this trilogy was capped off with Here Is Everything, an album that narrates frontwoman Juliette Jackson’s own experiences with pregnancy and motherhood, a raw, honest and cathartic look at both the beauty and burgeoning fear of becoming a parent. Naturally, all three albums have received critical acclaim and seen their stature steadily grow over the years; they haven’t been an overnight success, but a very homegrown and natural one, doing the old-fashioned route of spreading their word through relentless gigging. And it all pays off tonight at the Roundhouse, with what is their biggest headline show to date. 

Before the main event, we have two very exciting support acts, both of whom I’m seeing for the second time, if we’re keeping count. I saw Lime Garden at last year’s Tramlines Festival and was hugely impressed with what I saw, so it pleases me to say that tonight they are still on form. They provide a quirky blend of pop, indie and psychedelia that sets them apart from their peers. They have the same sense of fun running through their DNA as The Big Moon themselves, which is alluded to as frontwoman Chloe Howard confesses to the audience how they used to listen to Love in the 4th Dimension on their way to school, an example of how the band have been subtly influencing indie from the sidelines. Overall, Lime Garden provide that sense of unbridled creativity that could inspire many in the audience to form their own bands after seeing the Brighton foursome and discovering that anything is possible.

The Big Moon are also the reason why I am familiar with the main support group, Prima Queen. Not only have Jackson and drummer Fern Ford produced many of their tracks, but I’ve seen the two on the same lineup before, at the Nottingham Contemporary in 2020, one of the final gigs before lockdown hit. However, Prima Queen are not the band they were three years ago, they have blossomed and matured into something greater. They echo Boygenius to me, with their dual lead-vocals, hazy sun-drenched pop and lyrics that tiptoe the tightrope between coy and revealing. The highlight of the set is ‘Butter Knife’, a heartbreaking song that sees Louise Macphail deliver a spoken-word eulogy to losing a loved one to Alzheimers, whilst Kristin McFadden delivers some stunning violin accompaniment with the rest of the band. Much like the headline act, Prima Queen have also slowly been building a following, with many of their recent shows selling out way in advance, and after tonight, I can see why; I am hungry for more. 

So. Round Fifteen. How can I be in any way objective about this? How can I distill the sheer magic and warmth The Big Moon exude in every single one of their shows into words? Why do I keep coming back?

Well, to start with, I can talk about the sense of uniquity in this gig, their biggest headline show to date, and to mark the occasion they have heightened the scale. They’ve brought a mirrorball, which illuminates opener ‘Wide Eyes’ and makes frequent appearances throughout the show. A string section accompanies them during many choice cuts; the setlist dominated by tracks from Here Is Everything, it makes sense that they incorporate strings to show off the strength of these new songs, album closer ‘Satellites’ in particular is a highlight, garnering a sea of phone torches, a notion organically initiated by the crowd (when the band catch on, they break out into huge smiles). And towards the end, we get a special guest in the form of Marika Hackman, and together they play ‘Boyfriend’ off their collaborative 2017 album I’m Not Your Man (bet you forgot about that!). So it’s clear to both them and us that tonight’s show at the Roundhouse is a milestone for the band. How does the rest of the night fare? 

"The chemistry between Juliette Jackson, Fern Ford, bassist Celia Archer and guitarist Soph Nathan is still electric after all these years"

It’s brilliant. Of course it’s brilliant. It’s The Big Moon. Throughout their entire career, whenever they’ve played live, they’ve always felt like a gang, like the friends you wish you had, and they always make the audience feel like part of that gang. The chemistry between Juliette Jackson, Fern Ford, bassist Celia Archer and guitarist Soph Nathan is still electric after all these years; the warmth and togetherness they exude is astounding, even on a stage like this, they’re still as playful and energetic as ever.

It’s a shame that, for the most part, the audience doesn't reciprocate this energy. It is OK to enjoy a gig in different ways, there is no legal requirement to know all the songs before going, but when you’re as still as a statue and silent as a rock during the infectious groove of ‘Daydreaming’ or the euphoric singalong of ‘2 Lines’, it begs the question, why did you pay your ticket money if you’re not willing to have a good time? It isn’t until breakthrough single ‘Cupid’ is played that the crowd allow themselves to appear like they’re enjoying themselves, to look happy in the eyes of others, and I wanted to scream at them “what took you so long?”. I’m happy to say that from this point on, everything managed to click.

Jackson delves into the crowd for ‘Bonfire’, encouraging moshpits which continue on to ‘Trouble’, which sees people on shoulders and a small party breaks out. Closer ‘Your Light’ is still brimming with celebratory energy, the finest song they could possibly choose to close their set on; “what you’re doing for me, I just wish I could do, I could do it for you” Jackson sings, and it’s a feeling that I get. Throughout these fifteen times I’ve seen this band, they’ve been utterly magnificent, providing some light of their own in some truly dark times, and there’s a part of me that wants to repay this in some way. As the gig finishes, and the band leave the stage in a flurry of hugs and smiles, I can’t shake the feeling that by being there with the thousands of other fans filling this crowd, I’ve done that. 

The Big Moon are a band who many of us in these indie music circles have grown up with, seen relentlessly touring through countless support slots in toilet-circuit venues, so tonight’s Roundhouse show is a triumphant coming-of-age climactic moment. They’ve organically grown into one of the most quietly beloved and acclaimed bands of their genre today, and tonight felt like a celebration of their success and what they have achieved so far. “Thanks for growing up with us” says Archer to the crowd as the night wraps up, echoing this feeling. To use a trite analogy, tonight feels like seeing your child graduate, or get married. They are undoubtedly going to go on to bigger and better things, the world will embrace them in all their wonder and glory, but they’re no longer yours. Perhaps they never were. And that’s a good thing.

I leave the venue, setlist in hand (of course), excited about the future of The Big Moon, incredibly buzzing for round sixteen, whenever and wherever that may be, and most of all, completely forget about my darkness and remember their light. 

See the view from the pit, captured by Mattia Ghisolfi:

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More about: The Big Moon