The last time I had the pleasure of seeing Single By Sunday I noted how young the crowd were – and that was an 18+ gig. This time around, it’s a 14+ show and I feel even older. Sometimes I think I’m too old to do what I do, especially in a crowd like this. But then, when you hear a band a good as Single By Sunday, suddenly you no longer care and it’s all worth it in the end. The gig – the band’s first ever headline show – is sold out; not bad going for a new band, really.
Last time, the crowd went suitably mental from the off, but this crowd are taking their time with it. Either they’re not quite “there” yet, or they are simply biding their time and will lose the plot when the time is just right. My guess is the majority of them are just too stunned and excited to move. There’s a handful of folk at the very front having fun, though – the rest clap along and jump around as and when instructed by the band, however short-lived it may be.
Their second single ‘Get Up Get Out’ is reminiscent of Miley Cyrus in her Hannah Montana days, and the grown-ups are having more fun than the teenagers. What’s really striking about Single By Sunday live is that no matter who’s paying attention or not, they still give it 100% – and they have so much fun with it. I can imagine that they’d do exactly the same to an empty room, though it’s not a pleasant thought; Single By Sunday are a band to be enjoyed. ‘Adrenaline’, found on the ‘Atom Bomb’ single (officially released 3rd June) should be a crowd winner – and it is with the dedicated ones right at the front, as well as the handful of grown-ups (including myself and photographer Clare) – but it mostly falls on a flat, still audience.
The boys play like their lives depend on every single beat and note. There are a handful of short-lived crowd winners like ‘Girl Next Door’ and ‘Anywhere’ – played back to back – that find the audience jumping for a few seconds before going back to being stoic and staring up them. In a way, I can kind of understand it. The guys are nice-looking chaps, they’re fun to watch and keeping track of their movements on stage is hard work, especially Jonny, who I swear needs stapling down every now and then.
What is also apparent is that a large proportion of the younger folk in the audience are watching the entire show through a tiny screen on a mobile phone or iPad. Put the bloody things away! Surely it’s much more fun to watch the band play instead of squinting at a screen? Sometimes I wonder if the younglings of the world today know what live gigs are actually for…
Perhaps sensing the crowd aren’t really here, lead singer Josh climbs off of the stage and onto the barrier, and is very swiftly followed by Jack and Jonny (albeit very briefly). What’s also terribly brief is the audience response. The frenzy is so short it may as well have not happened at all. I’m still waiting for them to start flinging themselves from wall to wall. The night is still young, but as things are so far, I won’t hold my breath for it. At fairly regular intervals, the boys fling random merch – from t-shirts, CDs and wristbands – into the expectant crowd. Quite honestly, I’m amazed nobody was injured in the process.
Single By Sunday do and have made some brilliant little pop songs, but it would seem they’re also partial to a cover or two. The first is the almost obligatory ‘500 Miles’, originally by Scotland’s slightly cheesy but still kind of enjoyable favourite The Proclaimers. It’s a sterling effort and in many ways is much better than the original. Even a large proportion of the crowd are singing along (I suspect most of these are grown-ups). Imagine if Sex Pistols had covered it… It might not sound exactly like this but it’s definitely different! The second cover comes in the form of Busted’s ‘Year 3000’. And actually, it’s a Hell of a lot of fun! It’s the first time the audience have really woken up, too. The last time I sang along to this I was in a crappy Karaoke bar in Norwich many moons ago, and I was unbelievably drunk. It makes a nice change to sing it sober.
In all honesty, this is the best performance I’ve ever seen and heard the band play. I could (as I’m sure many of those present) and would very happily spend all night every night dancing to Single By Sunday. One day they’ll wind up playing Wembley Arena, just you watch.
Photo credit: Clare Ballott
