If you wonder why I love small gigs, here you go.

These past few weeks, there have been a fair amount of big gigs in my life. There has been arenas and the Royal Albert Hall, and as festival season is upon us, there will be more, that's for sure. Heading to Sticky Mike's for a small, basement gig feels like, in the words of Christina Aguilera in 2007, going back to basics.

Opening the evening are local act Evertim. I might be slightly biased on this one, but as they are equally good as a band as they are as people. (How do you write about a band whose members you appreciate? Go wonder. I'm trying) Their music reminds me of pop punk and emo bands of the early noughties à la Jimmy Eat World or Brand New, and as a big fan of them, you get why I like Evertim's music. It is only their fifth or sixth gig, as vocalist Alex Tuck informs us, and there is, hopefully, a whole lot of them coming up. Please never ever lose your enthusiasm. Ever.

(There is also an EP coming soon. You should be excited. Just saying)

Next up is Szyslak (pronounced Sis-lak, for the record). Their brand of pop punk is full of energy and closer to the heavier end of the spectrum - think bands tiptoeing with hardcore. They also have a bit of a goofy, funny side, and very dashing Hawaiian shirts, I might add, and the mixture turns out to be absolutely perfect for a warm Wednesday night out with your friends. Yes, you guessed it right, I will keep an eye on this lot, and yes, chances are I'll be there next time they're in town.

One of the main attractions of the evening, for me, are Birmingham based emos Beaumont. Since seeing them supporting Light You Up back in November, I have fallen for their sensitive sound, and there was no chance in hell I would miss out on them finding their way to my little corner of seaside paradise. They have a fair amount of fans in the (way too small) crowd (like, seriously, where the fuck were you, emos of B-town?) and their performance was just as good and lovely as it had been at the Barfly, a perfect mixture between emotional and energetic. This lot clearly is a band to watch in the near future, I'm telling you.





Headlining the gig were Homebound, whom I had also seen supporting Light You Up at the Barfly. I had been easily charmed by their pop punk sound and their sheer enthusiasm, their innocent energy (innocent as in they are a young band, not jaded, and everything about them screamed that they wanted to do things well). I can now see the nuances, see how their music is tinted with emo (which always gets me, let's be honest), the early noughties influences, and the indeniable and candour that emanates from the outfit. It is obvious they are incredibly talented, and yes, very predictably, I will stick around for the ride. I am sold. Who do you think I am?





I love big gigs, arenas and props. I love fireworks falling from the ceiling, confetti, bubble cannons and fire. I love seeing gigs I know are incredibly important for the bands I love, I love seeing them getting one step closer to the bright lights and the big dreams. I love gigs that mean something to my scene - to my family, to my home.
But there is nothing I love more than a small, basement show. I love getting up close and personal with the bands I am watching, I love sweaty rooms with no barriers and tiny stages. I need to see my scene growing, I need to see bands getting the appreciation and recognition they deserve for all their hard work. But I need small gigs because they are my home, and as they say, there is no place like home.
Evertim, Szyslak, Beaumont, Homebound, thank you for being home.