CIRCA WAVES: SHEFFIELD, UK
Circa Waves
at O2 Academy, Sheffield, UK
words by Emily Fletcher
When I was 15 years old, I was queuing to see Circa Waves in Birmingham after they released their debut album Young Chasers. I had to beg my parents to let me go as it was on a school night and again, I was 15 years old, so I didn’t have much choice.
Now, I’m 22, a lot more drunk, and a lot less fit, going to see Circa Waves after they’ve released their latest album Never Going Under. The stamina I had at 15 years old compared to my 22 year old self is not even comparable. Unfortunately, I had to take multiple mosh-pit breaks throughout the night.
Over the past seven years since I first saw Circa Waves, I reckon I've seen them roughly six more times. They've been all over the place— festivals, lending their support to other bands, and embarking on more tours. And let me tell you, not once, not ever, have they let me down. They always manage to blow me away with their incredible performances. Truly, unbelievable.
To me, Circa Waves just ooze nostalgia. It's like most of the people attending their shows now were fans back in their teenage days and are all grown up now with full-time jobs. When you're there, all your adult responsibilities just fade away for a few hours. It's like a time warp that lets you reconnect with your younger self, belting out the absolute best summer tunes ever. Pure magic.
On the night, they opened with the iconic title track that clearly inspired the album, ‘Never Going Under.’ From the first note, the crowd immediately recognised the song and went crazy. The mosh pit opened, drinks went flying in all directions, and a bunch of sweaty bodies began bouncing together in perfect sync as if it came naturally to them.
Kieran, the frontman, reminded everyone to watch out for each other, lend a hand if someone fell, and most importantly, have a blast after the opening tune. And halfway through, he checked in once more to ensure everyone was doing alright, prompting an eruption of cheers and screams from the crowd. This is exactly why I adore Circa Waves—they genuinely care.
As they carried on with the set, they delved into some of their new songs such as ‘Do You Wanna Talk,’ ‘Carry You Home,’ and ‘Hell on Earth.’ Their sound has managed to retain that striking resemblance to their music from 2015, and that's precisely what fans adore about them. Their consistent delivery of summary tunes is enough to make anyone feel the urge to jump around and throw their pint across hundreds of people.
They still, of course, embedded the classics such as ‘Fossils,’ ‘Get Away,’ and ‘Lost It’ (my personal favourite) into their set list, of course. These clearly went down well with the crowd. I don’t think I saw anyone in the crowd without a smile on their face, it’s not possible to not enjoy these guys’ music. Especially, considering the recent weather, they are the perfect summer soundtrack.
Of course, they ended with the iconic ‘T-Shirt Weather.’ If you don’t know this song, get to know. Kieran teased the crowd slightly, not allowing those in the mosh pit to know when he was going to drop, but this added to the excitement. Out of all the bands I’ve seen, which is a lot, I don’t think there’s a more iconic ending song to a set. They never fail to deliver during their shows, and I’d pay to see them again and again without hesitation. They are truly a band that deserve all the recognition they get, and more.