OCTOBER DRIFT: SOUTHAMPTON, UK
October Drift with support from The Youth Play and Coast
at The Joiners in Southampton, UK
words and photos by Phoebe Reeks
October Drift returned to iconic Southampton venue, The Joiners, on the opening night of their Spring UK tour. Kicking off the night, were two great support acts, Coast and The Youth Play.
Portsmouth-based band, Coast, were up first. Despite being in their early days, the band had the crowd engaged and dancing along to their music throughout the set, including their latest single release ‘Feels Surreal’ amongst others from their upcoming EP release.
Next up were London-based band, The Youth Play, who held the attention of the audience throughout their set with their blend of grungy rhythms, shoegaze guitar melodies and heartfelt lyrics and built up the atmosphere for the main act to follow.
October Drift emerged on stage, captivating the crowd with their unique prowess, before opening with ‘Waltzer’ from their second studio album, I Don’t Belong Anywhere. The band wasted no time, moving onto ‘Demons’ from their latest album Blame The Young. The rest of their set included various songs from their discography, spanning all three album releases.
The band’s eagerness to be back on the road shone through, with a perfect mix of high energy, yet intimate moments which kept the crowd engaged. From the upbeat and chaotic title track from their latest album ‘Blame The Young’ to the slower more heart-felt tracks ‘Bleed’ and ‘Wallflower’, the crowd listened intently and soaked up every moment, chanting their lyrics, head banging, and moshing throughout the night.
As is customary with October Drift, no gig would be complete without the band members entering the crowd at several points to perform amongst the fans. This time, both guitarist Daniel Young and frontman Kiran Roy took turns to hype up the crowd further.
After the anthemic penultimate track ‘Oh the Silence’, the crowd were chanting for more. Kiran thanked the audience before returning to the crowd to perform their final song of the night, ‘Not Running Anymore’ with an honourable dedication to a recently lost loved-one. Starting the track off Kiran performed solo in the centre of the crowd, before the rest of the band kicked in, closing the night in a frenzy of guitar, bass and drums.
October Drift not only have a great synergy with each other but have a unique stage presence that lures in the audience. They have a clear passion for their music and are appreciative of their fans. Energetic performances on stage, mixed with intimate moments within the crowd make future shows hard to resist. A gig with October Drift is never the same, and if you have a chance to catch them live, you will not be disappointed.
Coast
The Youth PLay
October Drift
