Live Review: Tired Lion, Apollo's Son, Hip Priest, Craig Niman

There was an excited buzz around the venue on Friday night, something that comes from the recent propulsive success of Tired Lion, who have toured around the country with Kingswood and Luca Brasi on separate tours and had their new single, I Don’t Think You Like Me, playing all over the airwaves.

Craig Niman warmed everyone up, armed only with a guitar and some intricate storytelling. Giving shout-outs to his mates throughout the set, nonetheless he definitely gained some more fans, this reviewer included, with his effort. 

Hip Priest are the surprise package of the year – they’ve nailed their dirty grunge-rock sound, complete with some wonderfully witty lyrics. Guitarist Axel Carrington is always a hoot up there on stage; the four lads did more than enough to keep the good vibes up. Apollo’s Son stepped things up with their intense blend of apocalyptic, surging rock – the howling vocal delivery from Beau Jones made it an epic-sounding set, while the distorted guitars brought all the noise to the fore. It was the perfect warm-up for what would end up being a blistering set from the headliners.

It needs to be said – this reviewer has never seen The Bird heaving as it did when Tired Lion played this night. The four players combined the momentum of the packed-out venue with their undeniable skill and ability to read the audience, turning their performance into one of the shows of the year. Bright Eyes kicked off proceedings appropriately, the catchy hook getting people moving, before better known song, Desperate, upped the energy. Vocalist Sophie Hopes acknowledged her parents for heading down, and her mum joined her on stage for a couple of lines of the band’s hit single, I Don’t Think You Like Me. “Do you think I’d be able to crowdsurf?” Hopes posed to the raunchy audience – a resounding roar was all the encouragement she needed, and she launched herself into the crowd, circling the mezzanine area before making her way back. “I have to do that again,” she said, and she went around once more. It was an unbelievable performance from a band well and truly deserving of all the current hype and we’re all hoping they continue on their fantastic run. Awesome stuff, guys!