While She Sleeps are a band that we’ve seen live on many occasions. Whether it’s big festivals, a sold out headline show at Brixton Academy and even a tiny no barrier show in our home city of Oxford, they always put on a fantastic show and with a visit to the Underworld in Camden, we expected something quite similar to the chaos of Oxford’s Bullingdon.
You can read about some of my favourite While She Sleeps shows here:
Better Days With… While She Sleeps
I finished work and hopped straight in the car to head down to London in time to fuel up on some Camden Town Street food before meandering over to the world’s end pub to queue up just in time for doors. It was as we entered said doors that I was reminded what a cool venue the Underworld is. The bar area gave us the opportunity to bump into some familiar faces from past gigs before venturing into the main room when once we were prepared.
Loathe kicked off the evening with an intense, floor shaking set which warmed everyone up very nicely! Their on stage production included TV’s showing video footage as they played which was a very nice touch. It felt like many in the appreciative crowd were experiencing Loathe for the first time but, judging by the reaction, it won’t be the last.
Sleeps started their set with incredibly high intensity as the trio of ‘Sleeps Society’, ‘Anti-Social’ and ‘Brainwashed’ ensured there wasn’t a single pair of feet standing still.
It was nice that the set started with 3 songs from 3 different albums rather than being too focused on new material. 4 albums were represented across the setlist which revisited some fan favourites such as ‘Four Walls’ as well as new ones like ‘Nervous’.
There’s always been a community feeling around WSS and that theme was referenced a couple of times during the set as well as being proven in the pit. I often found myself boosting up crowdsurfers, picking people up from the floor and shouting lyrics with strangers around me. This was one of the most passionate and friendliest crowds I had ever been a part of.
Another theme tonight was sweat! This was easily the sweatiest show I had ever been to which was obviously fueled by the incredible energy in the room from band members and fans alike. There wasn’t a moment of respite from some form of jumping, stage-diving or bubbling mosh pit apart from perhaps during the singalong of ‘Nervous’ towards the end of the night.
Aside from the chaos that comes with a band like While She Sleeps playing a small room like the Underworld, this night felt like a night to celebrate the unity and community created not just by Sleeps and their fans but by the alternative scene as a whole. For many, this would have been their first gig since lockdown started and they really showed how much live music is loved, how much it was missed and how much it is needed.
You can check out some of our live footage from this gig in the video below:
The Birdbox 