A whole lot of feelings. (How shocking)

It was a sunny, summery and frankly, super hot Thursday and I was on my way to London to see one of my favourite bands, The Summer Set.

I know, I know, I have a lot of favourite bands, and I like a lot of music. The list of bands who mean the world to me is very long, borderline endless. I just love music, no limits, no restrictions.

What about The Summer Set, then? The way I found out about them is quite ordinary, to be fair - friends liked them, so I listened to Chelsea and was instantly hooked. Love Like This was the album of things still being okay, Everything's Fine was the album of me struggling and battling and fighting for better days, Legendary was the album of the calm starting to appear in the middle of the clouds, and the new baby, Stories For Monday, is the album of the 25, almost 26 year old girl trying to make it in a new town, trying to find her place, starting anew almost every day. This band, more than being what would happen if I started a band myself, is the soundtrack to my life. They are in everything I am and in everything I do.

Opening the evening is alt-pop outfit Sykes. Though not excessively original (their sound reminds me of Pvris in a whole lot of places and ways), the performance is objectively good and the band looks delighted at the chance to tour with the likes of The Summer Set. Their half hour on stage earns them a good reception from the London crowd and the tour will surely allow them to gain some new fans, which is well deserved.

Second up is Scottish band The LaFontaines. I had discovered them whilst they were supporting Kids In Glass Houses in Glasgow, rediscovered them after seeing them play with Bad Rabbits in Southampton (it's been two years and I still struggle to justify my presence there, but oh well) and had thrown myself into their music when they had released King, featuring Luke Prebble and Mike Sparks (formerly of Canterbury) (side note, I don't think any of you realises how badly the "formerly" hurts my heart and soul). I was very excited to see them support The Summer Set and their live performane, once again, did not disappoint me. They are one of these bands whose back catalogue is banger after banger after banger (honestly, how does one do that?), and their frontman, Kerr Okan, jumps around the stage and oozes charisma, telling jokes in what is possibly the broadest Scottish accent I have ever heard in my entire life. Their performance is a complete success and they have definitely entered the list of bands who need to become the biggest act in the world. Or something. Hello, world, do not miss out on The LaFontaines.

(PS : Yes, I did a cry at King. That's how much I miss Canterbury)

And then The Summer Set happened.

Their music, overall, makes me believe, if only for a split second, that everything will be okay. They always manage to take the worries away - when I see them or listen to their songs, I have no problems whatsoever, everything I have ever wished for is right around the corner and I just have to casually walk there like I am the coolest person in the world. They make me incredibly happy, and it is no surprise that I left the Scala with an aching jaw because I had smiled the whole way through.

The set is mostly dedicated to the outfit's latest records, this year's Stories for Monday and 2013's Legendary. It also includes a couple of oldies - Chelsea, of course, The Boys You Do (Get Back At You) and one of my favourites, Someone Like You. I could never be disappointed in their setlists, to be entirely honest. They are one of these bands who could sing the phonebook backwards in Greek and I'd still think it was perfection. The Scala gig, though, is the longest I've ever seen the Americans play, and for that, I am very grateful - as someone who is still struggling to make it, who worries a lot about the future, I needed this. I needed a bubble where nothing could touch me, where nothing mattered.

And that's what The Summer Set gave me.

The Summer Set, outside of my worries and love for them, are one of the best bands this little world has. They never pretend to be anything they're not. They are a pop band with a whole lot of dad dancing and pop culture references, no apologies, and they do it oh so well. Drummer Jess Bowen performs with an injury, guitarists John Gomez and Josh Montgomery and bassist Stephen Gomez are masters at what they do and frontman Brian Dales is incredibly charismatic, inhabiting the stage like it's his very own living room, showing off his dance moves and amazing voice. Every single one of their songs has something special, whether it is perfect to get you dancing (Boomerang, Lightning in a Bottle, All My Friends), to make you feel empowered to the max (Missing You has been my anthem for weeks now) or to make you shed a whole lot of tears (hello Legendary, its lovely live version and the little speech that came attached). They have music for every moment, every mood, every occasion.

I have always thought The Summer Set had something special. 

The Scala gig was just another proof.